Effect of blueberry feeding on plasma lipids in pigs

Abstract

Two feeding trials were conducted with pigs to determine the effects of blueberry supplementation on plasma lipid levels and other indices of cardiovascular benefit. In the first trial, where basal diets contained a high level of plant-based components (70 % soya, oats and barley), supplementation with 1, 2 and 4 % blueberries resulted in a decrease in total, LDL-and HDL-cholesterol. The greatest reduction was observed in the 2 % blueberry-fed pigs, where total, LDL-and HDL-cholesterol were reduced 11·7, 15·1 and 8·3 %, respectively. In the second trial where basal diets contained only 20 % (w/w) of soya, oats and barley, the lipid-modulating effect of blueberries was attenuated, so that supplementation with 1·5 % blueberries reduced total cholesterol by 8 %, which occurred only in pigs whose diets had been supplemented with cholesterol (0·08 %), NaCl (0·11 %) and fructose (9 %). In the first feeding trial, blueberry supplementation had no effect on blood platelet activity. Blueberry supplementation also had no effect on the susceptibility of leucocyte DNA to oxidation in the first trial and no effect on the susceptibility of LDL to oxidation in the second trial. Results of these two feeding trials are discussed in relation to the effects of basal diet composition on lipid-modulating effects of blueberries.

Effect of dietary blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade) leaves on serum and hepatic lipid levels in rats

“…Kalt et al also showed that pigs fed diets supplemented with 1 , 2 , and 4 freeze-dried blueberry leaf powder showed a decrease in total, LDL-, and HDLcholesterol levels, although no dose response was evident 24 . The antiatherosclerotic effect of dietary freezedried blueberry leaf powder has been shown at the 1 dietary level in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, although this effect was independent of an altered serum lipid profile or total antioxidant capacity 25 .…”

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba (Vell.) Berg.) peel improved triglycerides excretion and hepatic lipid peroxidation in high-fat-fed rats

“…However, studies with obese mice treated with a high-anthocyanin beverage or diet corroborate our findings 10,21 . Polyphenols have been found to reduce the total cholesterol of animals fed atherogenic diets 5,12 and even healthy diets 4,22 . Another study found that HFJ2 and HFJ4 diets were capable of increasing HDL-cholesterol 6 .…”

“…High-polyphenol and high-fiber diets are capable of reducing total cholesterol and Low Density Lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) 4,12 , suggesting that both substances may act synergistically on the regulation of blood lipids. Moreover, diets supplemented with 1% or 2% freeze-dried jaboticaba peel improved the antioxidant capacity of rat plasma, indicating the potential of freeze-dried jaboticaba peel compounds to attenuate oxidative stress 13 and related damages 14 .…”

Effects of jaboticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba) peel on blood glucose and cholesterol levels in healthy rats

“…Pigs fed with a diet containing cereals/grains supplemented with fiber source and 1.5% blueberries resulted in reduced total cholesterol (Kalt et al, 2008). Thus, it is possible that consumption of foods containing a combination of phenolic compounds and fibers provide improvements of glycemic and lipids control in vivo.…”