Dietary Saponin and Plasma Cholesterol in the Chicken.

Abstract

Young chicks and adult roosters were fed low-protein diets with and without the addition of 0.3% cholesterol, 0.6 saponin, and both. The study indicated that dietary saponin depresses blood plasma cholesterol previously elevated by feeding low-protein diets both in the presence and absence of dietary cholesterol. The authors suggest that complexing of saponin with cholesterol re-excreted into the intestinal lumen makes less cholesterol available for reabsorption from the intestinal tract.[long dash]Authors.