Effect of dietary fiber of some beans on serum cholesterol concentration in rats

Rats were fed with cholesterol-free diet containing 5 g/100 g cellulose powder (CP), adzuki fiber (AF), kintoki fiber (KF), or tebou fiber (TF) for 4 weeks. Serum cholesterol levels of bean fiber groups were not significantly different from that of CP group at the end of feeding period. Hepatic cholesterol concentration of CP group did not significantly difter from those of fiber groups. Fecal cholesterol concentration of CP group was higher than that of AF group. Fecal bile acid concentration of CP group was significantly higher than those of AF and TF groups. No significant differences were observed in relative quantity of hepatic cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase mRNA levels among groups. These results revealed that dietary fibers of adzuki, kintoki, and tebou beans did not act as dietary factor lowering serum cholesterol concentration in rats fed with cholesterol-free diet.