Dietary effect of fermented soymilk on lipid metabolism and intestinal flora

The effects of fermented soymilk on lipid metabolism and intestinal environment were investigated on rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed on high-fat diets containing 15% (convert in protein) of fermented soymilk for 5 weeks. The fecal cholesterol, and serum cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid concentration were significantly decreased (p<0.01) in those rats fed on fermented soymilk when compared with the high-fat diet. The mean fecal water content and fecal weight were significantly increased (p<0.05) in those rats fed on fermented soymilk when compared with the high-fat diet. The number of clostridia, including Clostridium perfringens. in faces were significantly increased (p<0.01) during the high-fat diet. During the fermented soymilk intake, the counts of Clostridium perfringens, were decreased significantly (p<0.05) compared with the values before the intake. The number of Bifidobacteria, Bacteroides and Eubacteria were increased slightly during the intake. Fecal concentration of ammonia and indole were decreased slightly during the intake. The results obtained showed that the fermented soymilk intake improved the serum cholesterol concentration and intestinal environment.