Effect of plant fruits--Indian gall nut, bedda nut and gooseberry--on hypercholesterolemic rats.

The effect of supplementation of three fruits, Indian gall nut, bedda nut and gooseberry, on serum lipid levels and excretion of bile acids was investigated. Rats made hypercholesterolemic by feeding hypercholesterolemia inducing diet (HID) for a period of 30 days were used as the test model. Feeding of a dried powder of these fruits along with the HID resulted in significant (p<0.01) reduction in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. HDL cholesterol remained unchanged in groups fed gall nut and bedda nut. However, the levels were significantly (p<0.01) higher in groups fed mixed and gooseberry diets in comparison to the control diet. Excretion of bile acids was found to be significantly (p<0.01) higher in animals receiving the three fruits in combination in comparison to those receiving the individual fruits.