Cholesterol-lowering effect of rhubarb stalk fiber

Nutrition Research Newsletter, Nov-Dec, 1993

Various fiber-rich products, including oat bran, various bean and soybean products, guar gum, and pectin, have been investigated as possible lipid-lowering agents. This study from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, adds a new candidate to the list--rhubarb stalk fiber. In test mice receiving a cholesterol-enriched diet, the feeding of 5% rhubarb stalk fiber significantly lowered plasma concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides. The product was effective in reducing cholesterol even though it consisted predominantly of insoluble fiber, rather than the soluble fiber usually associated with lipid-lowering effects. Rhubarb stalk fiber is of interest as a food ingredient because it can provide textural modification in processed foods. Further investigation of this product's potential value as a source of lipid-lowering dietary fiber may also be warranted.

Tapan K Basu, Buncha Ooraikul, and Manohar Garg, The Lipid-Lowering Effects of Rhubarb Stalk Fiber: A New Source of Dietary Fiber, Nutrition Research 13(9): 1017-1024 (Sept 1993)