Effects of Dietary Fibers on Liver Lipid Accumulation in Chicks

Abstract

Effect of dietary fibers such as cellulose, pectin and konjac mannan on lipid metabolism, especially on liver lipid accumulation, were investigated in three experiments on growing chicks. Each dietary fiber was supplemented at the level of 4 percent to a basal fiber-free diet or a semipurified diet containing 0.5 percent crude fiber, and the diets were fed for 54, 32, or 19 days from 14 day of age, respectively. Feeding of cellulose had no effect on the body weight gain, but feeding of pectin or mannan depressed growth of chicks. Liver weight decreased in chicks fed cellulose for 32 or 54 days and liver lipid decreased by approximately 20 to 30 percent in comparison with chicks fed no fiber. Similar depression in liver lipid was observed in chicks fed pectin or mannan.Percentage of triglyceride in liver lipids was significantly decreased by feeding of dietary fibers. Plasma lipid content decreased in chicks fed cellulose. Hypocholesterolemic effects of cellulose and pectin were not observed though plasma cholesterol level was depressed by feeding of mannan. Therefore, it may be suggested that dietary fibers, such as cellulose, pectin and mannan, depress the liver lipid accumulation and affect on lipid metabolism in growing chicks, though mode of action of dietary fiber may be different each other.

Effect of dietary fibres on small intestine histomorphology and lipid metabolism in young broiler chickens

“…() indicated that using 3% CEL resulted in a decrease in broiler breeders' abdominal fat and liver and plasma concentrations of cholesterol. Consistent with our findings, Akiba and Matsumoto () reported that plasma lipid concentration in chicks increased with force feeding, but that cellulose inclusion in the diet reduced this negative effect. In the current work, the inclusion of fibre in the diet did not affect the liver fatty acid concentration.…”