Influence of rice hemicellulose and α-cellulose on lipid and water content of rat feces and on blood lipids

Purified, water-soluble hemicelluloses from rice bran and Alphacel were compared with respect to their effects on fecal output, moisture, lipids and sterols and on blood lipids in rats. Two groups of five rats were fed semi-purified, casein-based diets containing 3% rice hemicelluloses or 3% microcrystalline cellulose (Alphacel) for 14 days. Rats fed the fiber-free normal diet served as controls. Fecal output was highest in rats fed Alphacel (0·60 g/rat/day compared with 0·40 g/day for rats fed rice hemicelluloses and 0·25 g/day for those fed the control diet). Fecal water content was highest for the rats fed added hemicellulose (15·5% vs. 11·8% for controls) as was the total lipid content of feces (0·61 g per five rats vs. 0·47 g per five rats for controls). Cholesterol excretion in the feces was influenced both by rice hemicelluloses and by Alphacel in the diet. Rice hemicellulose appears to have a greater influence on increasing the water content of the feces than on the levels of excreted sterols and serum sterols.