The Effects of Ghee, Olive Oil and Barley Oil on Blood Lipid Profiles and Heart Tissue in Adult Male Rat

Background and Food with high cholesterol and saturated fatty acids may play a role in formation of plaque in the walls of arteries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplements containing different amounts of cholesterol and phytosterol on blood lipid profiles in rat. In this study, 28 adult male rats were divided into 4 groups (n=5 per group). They were kept under a 12 h light/dark cycle at constant temperature with food and water available freely throughout the study. The dietary supplement containing ghee, barley oil and olive oil were added to the foods in three groups. After 21 days of treatment, to measure various blood biochemical parameters and performing histological studies, the process of extracting blood from the heart and cardiac tissue were performed, respectively. Data were analyzed by one way ANOVA and Tukey test in SPSS software. The significance level was considered as P<0.05. Serum cholesterol and LDL-c in the groups treated with ghee, olive oil and barley oil decreased significantly compared with that of the control group. HDL-c levels increased slightly in the group receiving ghee supplement. Also, the level of TG decreased significantly in the group treated with barley and ghee. In histological study of heart tissue, signs of atherosclerosis were found more in the group treated with barley. The results showed that consumption of ghee and olive oil have positive impact on blood lipid profiles and some of the factors associated with atherosclerosis.