Changes in lipid profiles of rats fed with seaweed-based diets

The changes in lipid profiles of hypercholesterolemic rats fed with diets containing four Hong Kong seaweeds, Ulva sp., Hypnea charoides, Colpomenia sinuosa and Sargassum hemiphyllum, were evaluated. The cholesterol lowering potentials of the seaweeds were determined by comparing the levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglyceride (TG) and hepatic cholesterol (HC) in the seaweed-based diet groups with those of the control group. All four seaweed-based diet groups showed similar trend of increase in HDL and triglyceride levels when compared to the control group. Although Hypnea charoides and Ulva sp. diet groups reduced the serum TC level (16% and 13.9%, respectively), these values exhibited no significant differences from those of the control. In addition, there were no significant differences of LDL level between control and H. charoides diet. However, H. charoides diet was the only seaweed diet that caused a depression of LDL level (10.7%). It seemed that H. charoides had a comparatively greater hypocholesterolemic potential than the others. Besides, all four seaweeds had no adverse effect on the growth of animals with respect to their body weight and the weights of internal organs except the C. sinuosa diet which caused a significant (P<0.05) increase of the weight of the kidneys.