Impact of flaxseed intake upon metabolic syndrome indicators in female Wistar rats.
Impact of flaxseed intake upon metabolic syndrome indicators in female Wistar rats.
Year: 2012
Authors: Brant, L.H. Cardozo, L.F. Velarde, L.G. Boaventura, G.T
Publication Name: Acta. Cir. Bras.
Publication Details: August; Volume 27; Number 8; Pages 537 -543.
Abstract:
Objective: To evaluate whether the prolonged consumption of flaxseed minimize the factors that trigger MS in healthy rats. Methods: Pregnant rats were divided immediately after delivery into two groups during the lactation period, a control group (CG) receiving casein-based diet with 17% of protein, and a Flaxseed group (FG) with casein-based diet plus 25% of flaxseed. At weaning, 12 offspring of each group continued to receive the same feed but with 10% of protein up to 200 days old. Results: FG showed a significant reduction in body weight (p = 0.001), total cholesterol levels (p less than 0.0001), triglycerides (p = 0.0001), and glucose (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The flaxseed alters the indicators related to development of metabolic syndrome, because it has beneficial effects on lipids and glucose profiles and prevents the excess of body weight gain. (Author�s abstract)
Metabolic syndrome (MS) is the most common disease today, representing one of the major public health problems of the century, and its incidence has gradually increased over time. This metabolic alteration consists of a simultaneous presence of a set of cardiovascular risk factors characterized by hypertension, abdominal obesity, increased triglycerides, decreased high density lipoproteins (HDL c), and increased glycemia type 2 diabetes. Flaxseed is rich in alpha linolenic acid (ALA) has anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, and antiarrhythmic properties. The use of flaxseed has been advocated in the prevention of heart disease and therefore the MS, which is currently the most common metabolic disease among these patients. The hypothesis of this work is that prolonged consumption of flaxseed minimizes the factors that trigger the MS, leading to individual improvement of indicators that comprise it. This study aims to evaluate the effects of flaxseed in body weight gain, blood glucose levels, and lipid profile in healthy Wistar female rats that consumed flaxseed since the lactation period until mature age. In this study, the weight of offspring at birth was similar in both groups, however, at the end of 200 days of experiment, the animals that fed a rich diet in flaxseed weighed significantly lower than the other ones, showing that flaxseed can prevent excess weight gain even in healthy rats. These results are satisfactory, since they show that weight loss did not affect the animals� GI from FC, which was similar to the control. Weight loss is recommended as a strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Although no significant difference was found, the FG animals showed reduction of 16% in visceral fat mass. Supplementation with flaxseed flour brought a significant improvement in lipid profile of the evaluated animals. Lower levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides were observed. Therefore, a beneficial effect of flaxseed on the serum lipids levels of animals was noted. Another flaxseed component that may also have positive effects on lipid profile is the fiber, which is linked to a lower risk of CVD and diabetes. Flaxseed was associated with lower blood glucose. This result may indicate that flaxseed improves insulin sensitivity, thereby increasing glucose uptake. One possible cause for this glycemia reduction is the presence of SDG, which reduces diabetes incidence through its antioxidant activity. Oxidative stress has been suggested as a possible cause for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This study showed that flaxseed favorably alters the indicators related to development of metabolic syndrome, through beneficial effects on lipids and glucose profiles and prevention of excess body weight gain. (Editors comments)
