Female rats were fed a control diet and two experimental diets supplemented with cholesterol (10 g/kg) and alginate or amidated alginate (0 and 40 g/kg). All diets contained palm fat. Amidated alginate significantly decreased serum total and LDL cholesterol, hepatic cholesterol and lipids in the liver tissue. Amidated alginate increased faecal concentration of fat. In the rats fed alginate, these parameters were not significantly influenced (except hepatic cholesterol). The reduction of cholesterolemia in treated rats was probably based on the removal of fat from the intestine,rather than on interruption of cholesterol circulation.