Potential Effects of White and Dark Chocolate in Hypercholesterolemic Rats

Document Type : Original research articles

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Dept. Nutrition and Food Sciences, Faculty of Home Economics, Menoufia University, Shibin El Kom, Egypt

Abstract

This
study aimed to examine the potential impact of white and dark chocolate on the biological, biochemical, and histological factors of hypercholesterolemic rats. Thirty-six adult male albino rats were distributed into two main groups. The first main group, which was fed a basal diet, was a negative control group. The second main group was fed a high-cholesterol diet for 45 days to induce hypercholesterolemia and then divided into five subgroups; the first subgroup was fed on a basal diet as a positive control group. The other four subgroups were given dark chocolate at 5%, 10%, white chocolate at 5% and 10%, respectively, for 28 days. The results showed a significant decrease in most lipid profile indices such as (cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL), liver function, oxidative stress markers, atherogenic index (AI), coronary risk index (CRI), cardiac risk ratio (CRR), atherogenic coefficient (AC), and atherogenic fraction (AF). On the other hand, results showed a significant increase in HDL, oxidative stress markers, and hematological parameters (WBC, RBC, HGB, PLT)—biochemical results supported by the histopathological examination of the heart and liver. These findings have the potential to significantly impact our understanding of the effects of chocolate on hypercholesterolemia and recommend the moderate consumption of dark chocolate in the diet.

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