Abstract
This study was carried out to investigate the effect of processed (boiled and sprouted) cowpea‐incorporated experimental diets on serum cholesterol and serum antioxidant capacity in high‐fat diet (HFD)‐fed Wistar rats. Seven weeks old male Wistar rats were fed 20% fat as a control (CD), for comparison with 20% fat‐enriched diets containing 20% whole raw cowpea diets (Bombay Raw Diet; BRD and MI35 Raw Diet; MRD), boiled cowpea diets (Bombay Boiled Diet; BBD and MI35 Boiled Diet; MBD) and sprouted cowpea diet (Bombay Sprouted Diet; BSD) for 6 weeks. The increase in serum total cholesterol as a result of high‐fat diet was significantly countered by boiled and raw cowpea‐incorporated diet‐fed rats. Increased serum non‐HDL‐C level caused by HFD was significantly (p < 0.05) countered by raw, boiled, and sprouted cowpeas, while HDL–C was increased by raw MI and boiled Bombay incorporated diets. Boiling has improved the hypocholesterolemic ability of Bombay cowpea and BBD has significantly (p < 0.05) modulated serum HDL‐C level and liver weight in rats. These findings were supported significantly high soluble fiber content in processed cowpea powder than that in raw cowpea powder. The decrease in serum antioxidant activity as a result of HFD was significantly countered by BRD. Processing has reduced the antioxidant activity in cowpeas and serum antioxidant activity in rats. Cecal lactobacilli population was significantly high in all cowpea diet‐fed groups compared to control. Modulated serum cholesterol level in cowpea diet‐fed rats was accompanied by dietary fiber composition, antioxidant activity in cowpeas and fecal weight, cecal weight and cecal lactobacilli population in rats compared to control. Both processed and raw cowpea‐incorporated diets have modulated HFD‐induced hypercholesterolemia by modulating serum antioxidative capacity, cholesterol metabolism, and cecal fermentation.
Highlights
In this study, boiling and sprouting have improved the soluble dietary fiber content in cowpea compared to raw cowpea and these findings were supported by findings of our study on mung beans (Liyanage et al, 2018)
Low (p < 0.05) serum Total cholesterol (TC) and non-HDL-C level in BRD- fed rats was supported by significantly higher (p < 0.05) serum antioxidant activity compared to control diet, and this was in agreement with previous studies showing that significantly lower serum lipid level may be due to higher antioxidant activities preventing lipid peroxidation (Jemai et al, 2008)
The increase in TC and non-HDL-C level as a result of high-fat diet (HFD) was significatly encountered by boiled, raw cowpea diets and boiled, sprouted, raw cowpea-incorporated diets, respectively
Summary
Legume consumption is considerably high in developing countries and is used as a main source of protein compared to the developed world. We observed that raw cowpea-incorporated experimental diets modulated serum lipids and serum antioxidant activity in Wistar rats (Perera et al, 2016; Weththasinghe, Liyanage, Vidanarachchi, Perera, & Jayawardana, 2014). The serum TC level was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in rats fed BRD, BBD, MRD, and MBD diets than that in the control, showing that both boiled and raw cowpea powder- incorporated diets significantly reduced the HFD induced serum TC level in Wistar rats.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
