The Effect of Khat on the Levels of Cortisol and Lipid Profile in Healthy Khat Chewres

Effect of khat chewing on the levels of cortisol, total- cholesterol, triglyceride and
lipoproteins cholesterol (HDLc and LDLc), in healthy khat chewers were studied in
fifty healthy Yemeni male adults. After 12 hours fasting (in controls) or after 12 hours
from the last session for khat chewing , serum concentration of these parameters were
determined. The results showed that the mean levels of serum cortisol as well as the
serum concentration of HDL-cholesterol were decreased as compared to non khat
chewer individuals (control group) (p<0.05), while the serum triglyceride mean level
was consistently higher after chewing khat and differences were statistically
significant (p-value<0.05) as compared to the control group. On the other hands the
mean concentration of total cholesterol and LDL-c in serum of khat consumers
showed a non-significant change, as compared to the control group (non khat
chewers).