Effect of Bengal Gram on Experimentally Induced High Levels of Cholesterol in Tissues and Serum in Albino Rats

Abstract
Bengal gram (Cicer arietenum), a protein-rich cereal which forms the staple diet of people of low socioeconomic status in Northern India, was found to have a marked hypocholesterolemic effect in cholesterol-cholic acid-fed rats. It prevented, as well as reversed, the experimentally induced high levels of cholesterol in both tissues and serum. Both its protein and fat fractions were found to cause this effect. Increased excretion of cholesterol as bile acids and neutral sterols and decreased synthesis in liver are the probable mechanisms of its action.

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