High levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, so that many studies focus on modify HDL levels for therapeutic purpose.
Aim: The present research aims to highlight changes in plasma levels of HDL-cholesterol in experimental animals with a high-fat diet associated with some branched aminoacids--valine and leucine.
Material and methods: The experiment was realised on 32 male Wistar rats, which were divided in four groups: group I--received a standard diet; group II--was fed with cholesterol (C), group III (C + V)--cholesterol and valine and group IV (C + L)--cholesterol and leucine. After 8 weeks animals were evaluated in relation with lipids levels in the blood.
Results: The average values of HDL-cholesterol in group who received only cholesterol (C) were significantly lower compared with group III who received cholesterol and valine (C + V) or group IV that received cholesterol and leucine (C + L) (p < 0.001), after one month and at the end of the experiment.
Conclusions: Our results showed that valine and leucine increased the serum levels of HDL-cholesterol and therefore they are useful components in coronary artery disease risk reduction. The association of these aminoacids in human diets can improve clinical conditions associated with hyperlipidaemia such as atherosclerosis.