ORIGINAL ARTICLE Alterations in atherogenic indices and hypolipidemic effect of soybean oil in normocholesteremic rats Ochuko L. Erukainure 1 & John A. Ajiboye 2 & Babatunde A. Lawal 2 & Okukwe C. Obode 1 & Emeka E. Okoro 3 & Adesewa O. Amisu – Tugbobo 1 & Moses Z. Zaruwa 4 Received: 13 October 2014 /Accepted: 10 June 2015 # Springer-Verlag London 2015 Abstract The cardiovascular protective and hypolipidemia effects of soybean oil were investigated in normocholesteremic rats. Diets were prepared and designed to contain 50 % of energy as carbohydrate, 35 % as fat, and 15 % as protein. Groups of six rats were each fed one of these diets, while a group was fed pelletized mouse chow which served as the control. A significant reduction (p <0.05) was observed in the cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipo- protein (LDL) levels of the soybean oil fed group. There was no significant alteration in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels of all the groups. The studied atherogenic indices were significantly low in the soybean oil fed group compared to the other groups. These results indicate a protective effect of soy- bean oil against the development of cardiovascular disease as well as the hyperlipidemia that characterize obesity, hyperten- sion, and diabetes mellitus. Keywords Atherogenic indices . Cardiovascular diseases . Hyperlipidemia . Soybeans Introduction The elevation of serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol as well as alteration of other lipid parameters has been implicated as a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease (Jensen et al. 1988; Erukainure et al. 2011). This term commonly de- scribed as hyperlipidemia has emerged as an increasing- ly prevalent risk factor in both adults and children, con- comitant with the worldwide epidemic of obesity (McCrindle 2006). Until recently, reduced fat intake was being recommended to decrease its occurrence. However, reports in several studies indicate that the type of fat rather than the total amount of fat in a diet plays a major role in hyperlipidemia (Ojieh et al. 2009). Vegetable oils have been described as the most common source of fat in the human diet (Gupta 2007). Derived from an array of vegetable sources, they are extracted and processed for a variety of food uses (Karasulu et al. 2011). Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) have been described and extensive- ly used as important source of dietary protein and oil through- out the world (Dixit et al. 2011). The main objective of most soybean processing is production of high-quality meal and crude oil. The oil has been reported to be a rich source of omega 3 and omega 6 with its nutritional and health benefits been extensively documented in several scientific reports (Karasulu et al. 2011). Soybean oil is also a rich source of vitamin E which aids the body in scavenging free radicals, thus protecting against oxidative stress and thus beneficial in preventing its potential effect upon chronic diseases such as coronary heart diseases and cancer (Lu and Liu 2002). Its high vitamin B content aids digestion, thus preventing chronicle digestion problem and constipation (Kummerow et al. 2007). This paper reports the antilipemic and cardio-protective effects of soybean oil in normocholesteremic rats. * Ochuko L. Erukainure loreks@yahoo.co.uk 1 Department of Food Technology, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Nigeria 2 Biochemistry Department, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Nigeria 3 College of Health and Sciences, Adventist University of West Africa, Monrovia, Liberia 4 Faculty of Science, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria Comp Clin Pathol DOI 10.1007/s00580-015-2142-8