Bucking the health trend
researchers in Madrid, who found that the fibre has both prebiotic
and cholesterol-lowering properties.
Buckwheat should be considered as a health food, according to researchers in Madrid, who found that the fibre has both prebiotic and cholesterol-lowering properties.
Buckwheat is a relatively underused grain, most commonly found in pancake flour. The grain is rich in essential amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins B1and B2 and also a good source of minerals. The buckwheat plant is also an excellent honey source as the blossoms are rich in nectar.
The Madrid team fed 20, 12-week-old Wistar Hannover rats for 30 days with buckwheat and tested for presence of Enterobacteria, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Lactobacilus and Bifidobacteria in the rats' intestines.
Writing in the journal Nutrition Research, the researchers reported an increase of aerobic mesophilic and lactic acid bacteria content in the buckwheat diet when compared to control, with significant differences. The rats on the buckwheat diet also showed a slight decrease of Enterobacteria and less pathogenic bacteria, say the scientists.
Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus salivarius and Bifidobacterium infantis were found in both diets, but only Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium spp and Bifidobacterium lactis were found in the buckwheat diet.
The study also looked at HDL and LDL lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. While the glucose and uric acid content were similar in both diets and no significant differences were observed for the total proteins, albumin and mineral content, total cholesterol decreased with significant differences (P 0.05) when compared to control.
The body-weight was also lower in the buckwheat diet than control group. The researchers conclude that the fibre can be considered both a health food and prebiotic.
