Synergistic effect of oats and LGG fermented milk on lowering hypercholesterolemia in rats

Hypercholesterolemia is a major concern worldwide. The aim of this work was to evaluate the additive and synergistic effect of oat supplementation to probiotic fermented milk on lowering hypercholesterolemia in vivo. Forty eight male albino rats divided into six groups were fed with six different diets i.e. normal synthetic diet, cholesterol enriched diet, cholesterol enriched diet supplemented with skim milk, cholesterol enriched diet supplemented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG or (LGG) fermented skim milk at the rate of 108 cfu/ml, cholesterol enriched diet supplemented with oat bran and cholesterol enriched diet supplemented with oats in LGG fermented skim milk (108 cfu/ml) for 60 days. Blood samples were withdrawn on 0, 30 and 60 day to analyze the lipid profile. Hypocholesterolemic effect was illustrated in terms of lowering of cholesterol by 19%, triglycerides by 63.5%, LDL by 6%, VLDL by 44.5% in rats fed with oats supplemented with LGG. These values were not only higher than the values from other groups fed with either oats or LGG, but most importantly, the level of HDL did not increase significantly in this group. This study concluded that a composite diet of oats with LGG has a beneficial effect on hypercholesterolemia, illustrating synergistic interactions among these two components.