Cristiane S Fonseca, Larissa F Brito, Fabiano PPM, Tânia T Oliveira, Sérgio LPM and Jose H Queiroz
The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effects of rice fermented with Monascus ruber in the concentrations of rabbit serum lipids and the possible protective effects of fermented rice in injuries caused by hyperlipidemy. Blood samples were collected at the beginning of the experiment and during the interval of fifteen and thirty days to determine the levels of serum lipids. The fermented rice was effective in increasing the highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and reducing total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c). These effects were more significant when the diet containing 10% of fermented rice was used. It was found that the addition of fermented rice in the diets of the animals did not change the morphology of cells of the heart and prevented the formation of injuries resulting from hyperlipidemy.