Effect of coconut fruits and their milk on biological and biochemical changes of hypercholesterolemic rats

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This study was conducted to find out the effect of coconut fruits and their milk on biological and biochemical changes of hypercholesterolemic rats. Therefore, Thirty-six male albino rats, weighing 140-150g, were used. They were divided into two main groups.  The first main group (6 rats) was used as a negative control group,which were fed the basal diet. The second main group (30 rats) was fed a basal diet supplemented with powdered cholesterol and a ahigh- fat diet (10% animal lipid) to induce hypercholesterolemia and were divided into five equal subgroups. One group was placed as a positive control group who were continuously fed the basic diet. The rest four groups were fed the basic diet with coconut fruits at a concentration of 2.5 and 5% and coconut milk at levels of 250 and 500 ml per kg of feed for 28 days. The data obtained indicated that both coconut powder and coconut milk resulted in a significant decrease (P≤0.05) in serum TC, TG, LDL and VLDL with increased HDL. Both coconut powder and coconut milk also improve liver and kidney function. These data confirmed the hypothesis that both coconut powder and coconut milk contain several bioactive compounds capable of mitigating the harmful effects of high cholesterol and inhibiting high blood cholesterol in rats. Therefore, we recommend using such fruits in moderate quantities in our daily diets to benefit from its health benefits.

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