Further investigation on the hypocholesterolemic effect of vegetable proteins in the rabbit

Abstract

The effects on growth rate, serum and liver lipids of two vegetable proteins, peanut meal (a low-quality protein) and soy protein, were compared to those of two animal proteins, casein and fish protein, in rabbits fed purified diets for 30 days. As expected, total serum, lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were significantly lower in rabbits fed vegetable protein diets than in those fed animal protein diets. However, peanut meal induced lower weight gain and liver weight than casein, soy or fish protein. In addition, higher concentrations of triglycerides were observed in serum and liver of rabbits fed the peanut meal diet compared to those fed soy or fish protein diets. These results show that even though peanut meal may induce serum cholesterol levels as low as those obtained by soy protein, this vegetable protein is unable to promote normal growth and to maintain low serum and hepatic triglyceride levels in the rabbit.