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| Biomed Environ Sci 1990 Sep;3(3):306-14 |
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Influences of refined konjac
meal on the levels of tissue lipids and the absorption of four
minerals in rats.
Hou YH, Zhang LS, Zhou HM, Wang RS, Zhang YZ.
School of Public Health, West China University of Medical Sciences,
Chengdu.
This paper reports a study on the hypocholesterolemic effect
of the refined konjac meal (RKM) containing about 80% glucomannan
prepared from the tubers of Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch. Male
and female Sprague-Dawley rats, 5 weeks old, were divided into
five groups and fed a normal basal diet, a hypercholesterolemic
diet (control diet), and three test diets (RKM added to the
control diet at levels of 2.5, 5, and 10%, respectively) for
12 weeks. The results obtained indicate that RKM could markedly
lower the cholesterol levels in the serum and the liver of rats
eating hypercholesterolemic diets. At the end of the 4th week
of feeding experiment, the serum cholesterol levels in the 5
and the 10% RKM groups and the liver cholesterol level in the
10% RKM group were significantly lower than those in the control
groups. At the end of the 12th week, the serum cholesterol levels
of all the three RKM groups were lowered to a normal level as
was the liver cholesterol level of the 10% RKM group. The lipotropic
effect of RKM was also confirmed by histopathologic examination
of the livers. In addition to the hypocholesterolemic effects,
RKM diets also increased stool bulk. Minor effects on the absorption
and utilization of Ca, Fe, Zn, and Cu were found.
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