Development and Evaluation of Chickpea and Flaxseed‐Based Porridge as a Dietary Intervention for Hyperlipidemia in Rats

Hyperlipidemia is a condition of elevated blood lipids. Many natural foods possess hypolipidemic properties when consumed regularly. Purposely in this research chickpea and flaxseed-based porridge was evaluated for its lipid-lowering effect. A 45-day therapeutic trial was conducted using 20 male Wistar rats, which were divided into five groups having four rats in each group. For the induction of hyperlipidemia for all rats, a 45% high-fat diet (HFD) in the form of Vanaspati ghee was mixed with a 55% control diet and was given for 22 days. The experiment included five groups: G0 (normal control), G1 (hyperlipidemic control), and G2-G4 (hyperlipidemic rats) treated with formulated porridge blends T1 (2:1), T2 (1:2), and T3 (1:1) of chickpea and flaxseed for 23 days. Each rat received 30 g of feed daily, comprising 12 g porridge and 18 g basal diet. Lipid profile, liver function tests (LFTs), and renal function tests (RFTs) were evaluated after the intervention. The lipid profile revealed a significant improvement. Liver biomarkers also showed marked reduction. RFT results indicated a significant decrease in urea levels, while creatinine showed nonsignificant changes. Histopathological analysis of the liver, kidney, and heart showed improved tissue structures, with T3 exhibiting the greatest overall improvement due to the balanced ratio of chickpea and flaxseed.