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Effect of Adzuki Bean Paste and Sable Cookies on Lipid Metabolism and Intestinal Fermentation in Rats

Shunsuke OHASHI1, Ryuji NAGATA1, 2, Naoki FUKUMA1, 3, Ken-ichiro SHIMADA1,
Keiko SASAKI4, Mitsunori KADOYA5, Kyu-Ho HAN1, 3, Michihiro FUKUSHIMA1 *

1 Department of Life and Food Sciences, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
2 The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University
3 Research Center for Global Agromedicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
4 Hokkaido Tokachi Area Regional Food Processing Technology Center
5 The Foundation Japan Beans Association

We examined the effects of sweetened adzuki bean paste on lipid metabolism and microbiota compared to those of butter cookies. Rats were fed a diet containing 30% sweetened adzuki bean paste (A) or 30% butter-containing sable cookies (S) prepared according to the dietary guidelines for 28 d. The serum, liver, and fecal lipids were analyzed. Additionally, the cecal pH, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content, and microbiota diversity were also determined. There was no significant difference in the dietary intake, body weight, and fat accumulation between groups S and A. The total cholesterol and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were lower in group A than in group S at weeks 1 and 4, respectively. Furthermore, group A tended to exhibit decreased liver cholesterol levels compared to those in group S. There was no significant difference in the fecal lipid, total neutral sterol, and total bile acid contents between groups S and A. The cecal pH was not significantly different, but group A tended to exhibit increased total SCFA content compared to that in group S. Group A exhibited a higher relative abundance of genus Ruminococcus and lower relative abundance of genus Blautia compared to those exhibited by group S. Our data indicate that differences in microbial diversity between groups A and S might have caused the differences in the SCFA contents between the two groups. Group A had lower serum cholesterol levels compared to group S.
Key words: sweetened adzuki bean paste, butter cookie, resistant starch, intestinal fermentation, lipid metabolism

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