ABSTRACT
We have checked into the function of <I>konjak</I>, or the devil's-tongue (<I>Hydrosme vivieri</I>) to reduce cholesterol in order to cast light on its significance as a health food. We processed chipped glucomannan into crackers (hereinafter referred to as “mannan crackers”) and examined its impacts on lipid metabolism. Enrolled for this study were hospital staff members whose total cholesterol exceeded 200mg/dl and students boarding in the hospital's nursing college.<BR>The findings attested to the fact that the intake of mannan crackers may serve to reduce the values of total cholesterol. The higher the value of total cholesterol before this study, the greater the drop. Since we could not detect any effect on either HDLcholesterol or triglyceride, the mannan crackers were considered capable of specifically reducing LDL-cholesterol. We observed no numerical changes in the complete blood cell count (CBCC) and blood chemistry, either. Some of the subjects had abdominal swelling, diarrhea and other digestive problems but theirs were not serious cases. Yet in another aspect, there was no difference in body weight between before and after this study, but the intake of energy and lipid dropped during the period, suggesting that the intake of mannan crackers would produce an effect on the dietary pattern. Having said that, <I>konjak</I> (mannan crackers) may be considered capable of directly or indirectly reducing cholesterol, particularly LDL-cholesterol, suggesting that mannan crackers are of significance as a health food.<BR>The significance of this study for agriculture and rural community must not go unmarked. This study will contribute to the development of agriculture as an industry, while the farm product by the name of <I>konjak</I> has something to do for health, and will be instrumental in protecting the rural environment, not to mention the lives of farm workers engaged in its production. It is a task for us to grapple with by associating itself with farm work and rural villages with the close collaboration of those farm producers.