Antihyperlipidemic effects of buckwheat leaf and flower in rats fed a high-fat diet

This study was conducted to investigate the hypolipidemic effects of a powdered whole buckwheat leaf and flower mixture in rats fed a high-fat diet. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: normal control (NC), high-fat (HF), and high-fat supplemented with a mixture of powdered buckwheat leaf and flower (BLF; 5%, wt/wt) groups. The plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were significantly lower in the BLF group than in the other groups. Hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride values of the BLF group were similar to those of the NC group. This plant part mixture elevated the faecal triglyceride and acidic sterol level in the BLF group. The result suggest that the beneficial effect of this buckwheat plant portion on plasma and hepatic lipid profiles in high-fat fed rats is partly mediated by higher excretion of faecal lipids and synergistic effect of phenolic compounds and fibre present in the BLF. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.