Effect of turmeric extract on cholesterol levels in rats.

In general, the effect of turm.eric extract on endogenous levels of cholesterol in the liver and
serum of the rat is not appreciable. However, this effect is pronounced in counteracting the
increment in liver cholesterol induced by feeding cholesterol, provided the feed ratio of the
tunneric derivative to cholesterol is 1: 10; this effect is not seen when the ratio is I: SO.
The pattern of results is similar with the total alcoholic extract of turtneric or its lipid·free
fraction (crude curcumin), with the growing rat or the adult rat, fed with groundnut oil or its
hydrogenated product. Tbe cholesterol levels reached in the liver of rats fed cholesterol are,
however, higher with the unsaturated oil in the diet than with the saturated fat, Contrary to
previous reports, an inexplicable result repeatedly noted is that cholesterol feeding does not
perceptibly enhance the serum levels or the faecal excretion of sterols. The implications of
the results and their relevance to human physiology are briefly discussed.