Hypolipidemic action of onion and garlic unsaturated oils in sucrose fed rats over a two-month period

Summary The feeding of a high-sucrose diet to normal rats for a period of 2 months increased serum and tissue cholesterol and triglycerides very significantly. Simultaneous feeding of the unsaturated oils of onion or garlic with the sucrose diet counterated these effects of sucrose. However, along with the lipid-reducing effects, a small but significant tissue-protein reducing effect of the oils were also observed. The hypolipidemic action of the oils may be related to their action on both lipid and protein synthesis.The authors acknowledge with thanks Prof. J. K. Sen Gupta, and the authorities of the University of Maiduguri for the award of a grant to this project. Authors, to whom reprint requests should be addressed.