Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale R.) on lipids in rats fed atherogenic diet

Abstract

Effect of administering ginger (Zingiber officinale R.), one of the commonly consumed spices, on high-fat-fed rats was studied for a period of 10 weeks. Ginger was given at two different doses, 35 mg and 70 mg/kg body weight, made into a coarse solution with distilled water and administered orally by intragastric intubation daily. There was a significant decrease in the levels of cholesterol, phospholipids, and free fatty acids in the tissues (liver, intestine, kidney and aorta) and serum of the ginger-treated rats. Levels of serum triglyceride were also significantly reduced in the ginger-treated groups. Supplementation of the control and high-fat-fed rats with ginger increased the concentration of HDL and decreased the concentration of LDL and VLDL in the serum as compared with the levels in the rats not receiving the supplement. Thus, dietary intake of ginger was found to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis markedly by virtue of its hypolipidemic and antiatherogenic effects.