Whole Body, Liver and Plasma Cholesterol Levels in Rats Fed <i>Thermophilus, Bulgaricus</i> and <i>Acidophilus</i> Milks

Abstract

ABSTRACT In five dietary treatments 70 rats (146g) were fed: (1) chow + water, (2) chow + skim milk, (3) chow + skim milk fermented by Streptococcus thermophilus , (4) chow + skim milk fermented by Lactobacillus bulgaricus , and (5) chow + skim milk fermented by Lactobacillus acidophilus. After 4 wk of feeding, the mean levels of cholesterol in plasma (mg/dl) and whole body (mg/g dry matter) for treatments 1 through 5 were: 61.3, 54.7, 56.0, 57.1, and 58.1, and 3.68, 3.58, 3.27, 3.13, and 3.00, respectively (P &gt; 0.05). Whole body lipids, liver lipids, liver cholesterol and liver weights were not significantly different. Results indicate that various fermented milks do not significantly alter the distribution of cholesterol among various body pools.