Anti-atherogenic diets: observations from mouse models.

In this article we have summarized our observations on anti-atherogenic properties of a number of functional foods and dietary agents in apolipoprotein E-knockout and low- density lipoprotein receptor-knockout mouse models. Among various diets and dietary agents, our data show strong anti- atherogenic properties for plant sterols, wild rice, germinated brown rice, corn fractions and kgengwe seeds in these animal models. However, fish oil, wheat bran, corn bran, octacosanol and flaxseeds did not show significant anti-atherogenic activities under our experimental conditions in these mouse models. Anti-atherogenic properties of test diets may be mediated through beneficial alterations in lipid metabolism, antioxidant system and inflammatory pathways.