ABSTRACT:
Introduction & Objective: There are different methods for
improving hypercholesterolemia, insulin resistance and
hypertriglyceridemia, the major risk factors of cardio-vascular
disease. Calcium, a nutrient essential for many vital functions of
the body is now receiving much attention for its possible
hypolipidemic effects. The large bodies of studies on the effects of
calcium on the serum lipids have shown conflicting results and also
there is little evidence for its effects on serum insulin and glucose.
Materials & Methods: In this study, the researchers evaluated the
effects of three levels of dietary calcium (0.2, 0.5 and 1.2 gram%
diet) on serum cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol and
serum insulin and glucose in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The
amount of fecal fat excretion was measured to determine the
possible mechanism of lipid lowering effects of calcium.
Results: Findings showed that increasing dietary calcium lowerd
the serum cholesterol (p=0.04), LDL-cholesterol (p=0.02) but had
no significant effects on HDL-cholesterol, serum insulin and
glucose. There was a dose dependent increase in fecal fat
excretion but was not statistically different on a percent basis.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that calcium is an effective
hypocholesterolemic nutrient but its effects on serum triglycerids,
glucose and insulin need to be evaluated.
Malekzadeh J, Keshavarz S, Siassi F, Kadkhodaei M, Eshraghian M, Dorosti Motlagh A, et al . Effects of Dietary Calcium on Serum Lipids, Glucose and Insuline in Male Rats. armaghanj 2007; 12 (1) :69-78 URL: http://armaghanj.yums.ac.ir/article-1-870-en.html