The Beneficial Effects of Vaccinium Myrtilus L. Intake on Atherosclerosis Risk Factors in Male New Zealand Rabbits

The increase in the blood concentration of lipids after meals has a significant effect on induction of atherosclerosis. Vaccinium myrtilus has an antioxidant activity, and in this study, we aimed to determine the effects of this plant on atherosclerosis risk factors. In an experimental study, 24 male New Zealand rabbits were randomly designated into three groups of 8 rabbits: Group 1, normal diet; Group 2, a diet containing 1 % cholesterol; and Group 3, a diet containing 1% cholesterol and 2% Vaccinium myrtilus powder. The blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), apolipoprotein B (ApoB), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), LDL-C (low density lipoprotein), nitrite, nitrate, fibrinogen, and factor VII, which are considered as atherosclerosis risk factors, were measured before the experiment and 3 hours after feeding. The data were analyzed using One-Way Analysis of ANOVA. The P-values below 0.05 (P<0.05) were considered as significant. Consumption of Vaccinium myrtilus significantly decreased the concentrations of LDL-C, TC, aminotransaminases (AST, ALT), ApoB, and fibrinogen compared to the hyper-cholesterolemic diet group (P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences was found between the group taking Vaccinium myrtilus and hyper-cholesterolemic diet group with regard to the serum glucose, TG, factor VII, nitrite, and nitrate (P>0.05). The results of this study show that acute consumption of Vaccinium myrtilus might have a protective effect on some atherosclerosis risk factors.