Hypocholesterolemic effect of diet supplemented with Indian bean (Dolichos lablab L. var lignosus) seeds

Abstract

Purpose

Legume seeds provide one of the most concentrated sources of nutrients rich in fibre and high‐quality protein in the diet. The present work aims to investigate the hypocholesterolemic effect of germinated Indian bean (Dolichos lablab L. var lignosus) by feeding albino rats with a hypercholesterolemic diet.

Design/methodology/approach

Male albino rats of Wistar strain were divided into five groups (each group consisting of ten rats) according to randomized block design, housed in individual cages and fed with one of the five diets over an eight‐week period. At the end of eight weeks, the body weights were recorded and the rats put down. Samples of blood and liver were collected and used for analysis of liver and plasma cholesterol.

Findings

Supplementation of the diet with dried powder of soaked bean almost brought the plasma cholesterol to 72.5 ± 0.75 from 178 ± 1.85 compared with that of the control (61.5 ± 0.70), although the liver cholesterol was still three times higher compared with the control. The 24h germinated Indian bean cotyledons could effectively counteract the effects of added cholesterol on liver and plasma by their high fibre content coupled with enormous increase in ascorbic acid levels.

Originality/value

Results suggest germination to be a simple biochemical tool to effectively lower the cholesterol levels in liver and plasma by virtue of its higher contents of ascorbic acid and dietary fibre in ischemic heart disease patients.

Citation

Ramakrishna, V., Jhansi Rani, P. and Ramakrishna Rao, P. (2007), "Hypocholesterolemic effect of diet supplemented with Indian bean (Dolichos lablab L. var lignosus) seeds", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 37 No. 6, pp. 452-456. https://doi.org/10.1108/00346650710838117