Journal of Functional Foods (Oct 2009)

Sorghum distillers dried grain lipid extract increases cholesterol excretion and decreases plasma and liver cholesterol concentration in hamsters

  • Jia Tse Hoi,
  • Curtis L. Weller,
  • Vicki L. Schlegel,
  • Susan L. Cuppett,
  • Ji-Young Lee,
  • Timothy P. Carr

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 1, no. 4
pp. 381 – 386

Abstract

Read online

Grain sorghum is a rich source of phytochemicals. In this study, male hamsters were fed AIN-93M diets supplemented with a hexane-extractable lipid fraction from sorghum distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Diets contained 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 5.0% (w/w) DDGS lipid extract. After 4 wk, the 5.0% DDGS lipids group had significantly lower plasma non-HDL cholesterol and liver esterified cholesterol concentration. Faecal neutral sterol (i.e., cholesterol) excretion was significantly higher in the 5.0% DDGS lipids group compared to the other treatments (66% higher compared to controls). Bile acid excretion was not affected by DDGS lipid intake. Faecal cholesterol excretion was negatively correlated with liver cholesterol concentration (r = −0.97, P = 0.026), and liver cholesterol concentration was directly correlated with plasma total cholesterol concentration (r = 0.96, P = 0.041). Thus, lipid extract of sorghum DDGS exhibited cholesterol-lowering properties due, at least in part, to increased cholesterol excretion from the body and could provide health benefits when incorporated into human diets.

Keywords