Anti-obesity and hepatoprotective effects in obese rats fed diets supplemented with fruit purees

Abstract In this work, the effect of the intake of a low-fat diet supplemented with a fruit puree (guava-strawberry, guava-blackberry, guava-soursop or guava-passion fruit) by obese rats on reduction of body weight, lipid profile, and liver enzyme activity was evaluated. The rats (n=6 for each treatment) were induced to obesity with a high-fat diet for 4 weeks, then they were fed with a low-fat diet plus a fruit puree for 4 weeks. Healthy rats and obese rats fed with standard diet as controls were considered. The additional consumption of fruit purees was associated with a reduction in body weight (16-24%), a control in the metabolism of plasma lipids decreasing the levels of total cholesterol (59-68%) and triacylglycerols (61-82%). We found a significant reduction in inflammation markers and liver damage; enzyme activity (alanine aminotransaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transferase and alkaline phosphatase) decreased, and a notable improvement in liver morphology was observed. The consumption of fruit purees by obese individuals could contribute to the control of and improvement in the complications of obesity caused by alterations in lipoproteins.

摘要 本研究评估了肥胖大鼠摄入添加果泥（fruit puree）的低脂饮食（low-fat diet），对其体重减轻、血脂谱（lipid profile）及肝酶活性（liver enzyme activity）的影响。实验大鼠每组样本量为6只，先通过高脂饮食（high-fat diet）造模4周以诱导肥胖，随后喂食添加果泥的低脂饮食，干预周期为4周。本研究同时设置了健康大鼠对照组以及喂食标准饮食（standard diet）的肥胖大鼠对照组。额外摄入果泥可使大鼠体重降低16%~24%，同时可调控血浆脂质代谢，使总胆固醇（total cholesterol）水平降低59%~68%、三酰甘油（triacylglycerols）水平降低61%~82%。研究发现，炎症标志物（inflammation markers）与肝损伤程度均显著降低；丙氨酸氨基转移酶（alanine aminotransaminase）、天冬氨酸氨基转移酶（aspartate aminotransferase）、γ-谷氨酰转移酶（γ-glutamyl transferase）及碱性磷酸酶（alkaline phosphatase）的酶活性下降，肝脏形态学特征也得到显著改善。肥胖人群额外摄入果泥，或可有助于控制并改善由脂蛋白（lipoproteins）异常引发的肥胖并发症。