Lowering of Human Serum Cholesterol by an Oral Hydrophilic Colloid.

An oral hydrophilic colloid (9.6 g/day), after a 3-week pre-experimental control period, was fed for a 5-week experimental period to normally active young adult males on several dietary regimens with the following results: 1) For subjects on a self-selected mixed diet, the mean serum cholesterol level obtained during the last 3 weeks of the experimental period was 9% below that of the control period. 2) For subjects on an egg-supplemented regimen, the serum cholesterol level obtained during the last 3 weeks of the experimental period was 7% below that of the control period and 18% below that of a comparable group receiving the egg-supplement but no mucilloid. All the above differences were statistically significant by t-test (P ≤ 0.01).