Brazilian typical food with potential to improve lipid profile
International Journal of Development Research
Brazilian typical food with potential to improve lipid profile
Received 14th November, 2017; Received in revised form 20th December, 2017; Accepted 23rd January, 2018; Published online 28th February, 2018
Copyright © 2018, Patrícia Cincotto dos Santos Bueno et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Tapioca is a food produced from the cassava roots and is commonly used in Brazil to prepare many products. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of tapioca on the metabolic profile of Wistar rats. Twenty female rats were divided in G1: control group (n=10) and G2: treated group (n=10). The treated group received tapioca flour mixed to the rat food for 45 days, and the control group received commercial rat food. Body weight was evaluatedthree times a week. Blood samples were collected to evaluate glycemia, total cholesterol (TC), LDL-c, HDL-c, and triglycerides (TG). Anthropometric parameters were also evaluatedas well as atherogenic indices. A significant reduction was observed in the levels of TC, LDL-c, and abdominal circumference in the treated group although the food intake was significantly higher in this group. The intake of tapioca positively interferes with the lipid levels.