Fatty Liver Inhibitory Effect of Freeze-Dried Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis) Aril in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet

摘要

Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis) aril is a nutritionally superior food; however, no research has been conducted on its health functions. Therefore, we examined whether gac aril contributes to lipid metabolism in rats fed a high fat diet containing a freeze-dried powder of gac aril for 4 weeks. At the end of the feeding period, the group fed a high-fat diet containing gac aril showed significantly decreased triglyceride and cholesterol levels in the liver, and increased blood high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol compared to the high-fat diet group. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in fecal cholesterol levels in the gac diet group compared to the high-fat diet group. These results suggest that the consumption of gac aril promotes cholesterol excretion and has a suppressive effect on fatty liver.