Chapter 2

Related Literature

Taro

Taro is a large perennial herbaceous plant growing up to 5-6 feet. It's rather large

heart-shaped, frilly edged leaves at the end of long, stout petioles appear like elephant’s ear. It

grows best in marshy, wet soil and warm humid climates. The corm grows to a size of a ​turnip​,

has globular or oblong shape with brown fibrous skin. Its surface is marked by circular rings

indicating points of attachment of scaly leaves. Inside, its flesh is white to cream-yellow, but

may feature different colours depending upon cultivar types. An average-size corm weighs

about 2-4 pounds (​Umesh Rudrappa​, 2015).

Taro is healthy, and is also loaded with potassium, that is an important mineral for a lot

of bodily processes. Taro also includes several calcium, vitamin C, vitamin E and B vitamins, in

addition to magnesium, manganese and copper. Taro leaves include great quantities of vitamins

A and C, fibre along with a comparatively large quantities of protein.​ A single serving of Taro is

abundant with numerous nutrition which are essential for the body. Taro is abundant with dietary

fibre; it’s got 7g of fibre that satisfies 27 % of our everyday necessity (MakG, 2013). Because of

the richness of Dietary Fibre in Taro it ​satisfies 27 % in our daily dietary fibre; this is extremely

therapeutic for the body. Dietary fibre decreases the chance of Colon cancer; helps prevent

bowel problems and may also reduce the amount of bad cholesterol within our body. ​Water

soluble or soluble fibre can be dissolved in water and when it does it usually forms a gel-like
substance. Taro has mostly water soluble fibre. This fibre is responsible for the lowering of

blood sugar and cholesterol. Taro is one such root vegetable which contains adequate amount

this valuable nutrient (​Samuda​ Carolee, 2014).

Dietary Fibre

Dietary fibre is very important in the maintaining of the digestive health. It regularizes

bowel movements and makes it easier to 'go out'. The more fibre in the diet the better and more

comfortable the bowel movement. Roughage cleanses the colon by removing particles that may

have lodged there and so keeps it free and clean. The more fibre in the diet the less carbs you

will need. Fibre also helps to make you feel full and so you will actually eat less. Because of the

fibrous nature of some foods, you have to chew more which makes you less hungry as you eat.

This helps to reduce the amount of food you actually take in at any one time this assisting in

weight loss (​Samuda​ Carolee, 2014).

Dietary fibre, also known as roughage or bulk, includes all parts of plant foods that your

body can't digest or absorb. Unlike other food components, such as fats, proteins or

carbohydrates which your body breaks down and absorbs fibre isn't digested by your body.

Instead, it passes relatively intact through your stomach, small intestine, and colon and out of

your body. Fibre is commonly classified as soluble (it dissolves in water) or insoluble (it doesn't

dissolve). A high-fibre diet has many benefits and it includes lowering cholesterol levels, Soluble

fibre found in these high fibre plants may help lower total blood cholesterol levels by lowering

low-density lipoprotein, or "bad," cholesterol levels. Studies also have shown that fibre may have
other heart-health benefits, such as reducing blood pressure and inflammation (​Mayo Foundation

for Medical Education and Research, 2015).

Cholesterol

Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

LDL cholesterol makes up the majority of the body’s cholesterol. LDL is known as

“bad” cholesterol because having high levels can lead to plaque build-up in your arteries and

result in disease and ​stroke​ (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015).

Cholesterol can't dissolve in ​blood​, so proteins in the blood carry it where it needs to

go. These carriers are called lipoproteins. Acting like a microscopic bus fleet, lipoproteins

pick up and carry loads of cholesterol through the blood. Each form of lipoprotein has

different preferences for cholesterol, and behaves differently with the cholesterol it carries.

An LDL particle is a microscopic blob consisting of an outer rim of lipoprotein surrounding a

cholesterol centre. LDL is called low-density lipoprotein because LDL particles tend to be

less dense than other kinds of cholesterol particles. Some LDL cholesterol tends to deposit in

the walls of arteries. This process starts as early as childhood or adolescence, White blood

cells swallow and try to digest the LDL, possibly in an attempt to protect the blood vessels,

In the process, the white blood cells convert the LDL to a toxic form and More white blood

cells and other cells migrate to the area, creating steady low-grade inflammation in the artery
wall. Over time, more LDL cholesterol and cells collect in the area. The process creates a

bump in the artery wall called a plaque. Plaque is made of cholesterol, the body's cells, and

debris. The process continues, growing the plaque and slowly blocking the artery. An even

greater danger than slow blockage is a sudden rupture of the surface of the plaque. A blood

clot can form on the ruptured area. And that can lead to a ​heart attack​ (WebMD, LLC. 2015).

High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)

HDL cholesterol absorbs cholesterol and carries it back to the liver, which flushes it

from the body. HDL is known as “good” cholesterol because having high levels can reduce

the risk for heart disease and stroke (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015).
 These lipoproteins act as cholesterol scavengers, picking up excess cholesterol in

your blood and taking it back to your liver where it's broken down. The higher your HDL

level, the less "bad" cholesterol you'll have in your blood. HDL is short for high-density

lipoprotein. Each bit of ​HDL cholesterol​ is a microscopic blob that consists of a rim of

lipoprotein surrounding a cholesterol centre. The ​HDL cholesterol​ particle is dense compared

to other types of cholesterol particles, so it's called high-density. Cholesterol is an essential

fat. It provides stability in every cell of your body. To travel through the bloodstream,

cholesterol has to be transported by helper molecules called lipoproteins. Each lipoprotein

has its own preferences for cholesterol, and each acts differently with the cholesterol it

carries. Experts believe HDL cholesterol may act in a variety of helpful ways that tend to

reduce the risk for heart disease: HDL cholesterol scavenges and removes ​LDL​ or "bad"

cholesterol, HDL reduces, reuses, and recycles ​LDL cholesterol​ by transporting it to

the ​liver​ where it can be reprocessed, HDL cholesterol acts as a maintenance crew for the

inner walls of ​blood​ vessels. Damage to the inner walls is the first step in the process

of ​atherosclerosis​, which causes attacks and strokes. HDL scrubs the wall clean and keeps it

healthy (WebMD, LLC. 2015).

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood that your body uses for energy.

The combination of high levels of triglycerides with low HDL cholesterol or high LDL

cholesterol can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke (Centre for Disease Control and

Prevention, 2015).
 Triglycerides are a type of lipid found in your blood. When you eat, your body

converts any calories it doesn't need to use right away into triglycerides. The triglycerides are

stored in your fat cells. Later, hormones release triglycerides for energy between meals. If

you regularly eat more calories than you burn, particularly "easy" calories like carbohydrates

and fats, you may have high triglycerides or called hypertriglyceridemia (​U.S. National

Library of Medicine​, 2015).

High triglycerides may contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the

artery walls which increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease. Extremely high

triglycerides can also cause acute pancreatitis. High triglycerides are often a sign of other

conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke as well, including obesity and

metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that includes too much fat around the waist,

high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high blood sugar and abnormal cholesterol levels.

Sometimes high triglycerides are a sign of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, low

levels of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism), liver or kidney disease, or rare genetic

conditions that affect how your body converts fat to energy. High triglycerides could also be

a side effect of taking medications such as beta blockers, birth control pills, diuretics or

steroids (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2015).

Related Studies
 A study conducted by Kate Quevedo et al., (2015) entitled “Effect of Flemingia

strobilifera Linn. (Payang-payang) Extract on Blood Cholesterol Levels of Albino Mice” they

have found out that the plant extracts from different parts of Flemingia strobilifera Linn. Have

significant effect on the blood cholesterol levels of albino mice using vein tail method and

analyse in Kernel Multi-check Blood Cholesterol Monitoring kit and cholesterol strips. Results

showed that all treatments (leaf, root and stem extracts) are capable of significantly reducing the

blood cholesterol level in mice. Because of the similar amounts of phytosterols and

phytophenols in the various plant parts of paying-payang, it was found out that the plant parts

efficacy does not have a significant difference in lowering blood cholesterol levels exhibiting

leaf = stem = root.

Fawzi Mohammad Al Sheyab (2015) found out in his study that the Rosemary

(Rosmarinus officinalis. L) Plant Extracts has a great effect on the Lipid Profile in Mice. The

oral administration produced a significant increase in plasma total cholesterol, Low Density

Lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides as compared to controls, while significant reductions

plasma HDL-C was found. The oral administration of rosemary plant extracts as a 100 mg/kg per

day for 15 days to high cholesterol-fed mice (HC) resulted in significant declines in plasma total

cholesterol LDL-C, and TG as compared to HC mice, while, there was an increase in HDL in

comparison to HC mice. The researcher concluded that the lipid profile (TC, HDL, LDL and TG)

showed significant reduction in rosemary-fed mice as compared to the HC mice. On the other

hand, significant elevation of the HDL was observed in rosemary-fed mice as compared to the

HC mice.
 A study conducted by ​Archana Sachdewa​, and ​L.D Khemani​ they found out that the

Ethanol flower extract of ​Hibiscus rosa sinensis Linn.​ ​Lowered the total cholesterol and

triglycerides by 22% and 30%, respectively. While they discovered that there is an increase in

HDL-cholesterol for over 12% under the influence of the extract as compared to that of

glibenclamide for just 1%.