ABSTRACT

The importance of vegetables in human nutrition cannot be overemphasized, as they are important sources of nutrients, dietary fibre, and phytochemicals. However, the bioavailability of these nutritive values and palatability among other reasons has set certain barriers in their consumption. This work investigated utilized 60 wistar rats fed with different diet composition such as high sucrose, juice and pulp extracts of Venonia amygdalina and Telfairia occidentalis for three weeks. This study revealed the both T. occidentalis and V. amygdalina significant (p<0.05) reduced cardiovascular risk induced by the consumption of high sucrose diet. However, V. amygdalina was more effective than T. occidentalis. This study revealed the efficacy of pulp extracts of T. occidentalis over pulp extract of V. amygdalina as well as the juice extracts of both leafy vegetables. Therefore, pulp extract of T. occidentalis may be a good nutraceutical product for the prevention and treatment of complication associated with consumption of high sucrose diet including neurovascular disease

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     Introduction

CHAPTER TWO

2.0     Literature review

2.1     Background of studies

2.2     Vegetables

2.2.1  Vernonia amygdalina                                                             

2.2.2  Telferia occidentalis                                                               

2.3     Brain

2.3.1  Functions of the brain

2.4     Lipid profile

2.4.1  Cholesterol

2.4.1.1 Functions of cholesterol

2.4.1.2 Biosynthesis of cholesterol

2.4.1.3 Clinical diagnosis

2.4.2  Triglyceride

2.4.2.1 Metabolism of triglyceride

2.4.2.2 Roles of triglycerides in diseases

CHAPTER THREE

3.0        Materials and Methods

3.1        Materials

3.2        Methods

3.2.1     Diet composition

3.2.2     Feeding and grouping of animals

3.2.2.1 Animal management

3.2.2.2 Animal Sacrifice

3.3    Homogenate preparation

3.4    Biochemical analysis

3.5        Statistical analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0     Results

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0     Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1     Discussion

5.2     Conclusion

5.3     Recommendation

References

Appendix

  LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 – Reconstitution of reagents for cholesterol determination

Table 2 – Reconstitution of reagents for triglyceride determination

Table 3 – Lipid profile in the brain