Biochemical and nutritional studies on cocoa powder and its effect on blood lipids in experimental rats

Cocoa  powder considered a high rich source of  polyphenols so it reduce the lipid profile in blood and the risk of cardiovascular disease. The present investigation aimed to assess the biochemical and nutritional properties on cocoa powder and its effect on blood lipids in rats. Twenty Four male albino rats Sprague Dawley Strain weighing (150±10 g.) were used in the experiment. All rats were fed on basal diet (one week) for adaptation. Then randomly divided into two main groups as following : The first main group include: (G1) fed on basal diet as a negative control group (-ve). The second main group was fed on high fat diet (HFD) for (4 weeks) to induce hyperlipidemia. Then, rats were divided into three groups as following: (G2) fed on high fat diet as a positive control group (+ve), (G3,G4), were fed high fat diet supplemented with cocoa powder (5%, 10% respectively). The results indicated a significant decrease in BW, FI, and FER in rats fed with HFD diet + cocoa powder nearly from negative control group (-ve). (HFD) rats showed a significant increase in serum total cholesterol, triglycerids, LDL-c, VLDL-c, compared to negative control  group(-ve). On the other hand, (HFD) rats showed  a significant decrease in serum high-density lipoproteins (HDL-c) compared to normal control group (-ve). While cocoa powder improve lipids profile and protective from cardiovascular risk .