Dietary Cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and Turmeric (Curcuma longa) Consumption: A Comparison of etabolic Effect in High-Fat Fed Rats

Abstract

Background: A growing number of studies have reported beneficial health effects of cocoa and turmeric on atherosclerosis, hypertension and insulin resistance. Relatively few studies have investigated the preventive or therapeutic effects of cocoa and turmeric against obesity-related metabolic disorders and co-pathologies.

Objective: The study was undertaken to determine the effect of cocoa and turmeric supplementation on glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and lipid profile in rats fed with high-fat diet (HFD).

Materials and Methods: Twenty-four(24) male Sprague-Dawley rats were initially divided into 2 groups of six and eighteen rats; the group of 18 rats was fed with HFD while the other group of 6 rats consumed the control diet. After seven weeks on the dietary regimen, 12 rats from the HFD group were shifted to either cocoa-supplemented (50 mg/kg diet) or turmeric-supplemented (100 mg/kg diet) with 6 rats in each group, while the remaining rats continued on the HFD for another 7 weeks. Throughout the study, food intake and body weights were measured and recorded. Thereafter, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT) were performed; fat pads were excised and weighed immediately. Blood samples were also collected via the retro-orbital sinus to measure the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL).

Results: Body weight was significantly lower in the cocoa and turmeric supplementation diet groups compared with the HFD fed obese group. In the cocoa and turmeric supplementation diet groups, weight of retroperitoneal and testicular fat pads were significantly lower than in HFD fed obese rats.

Conclusion: Cocoa and turmeric supplementation ameliorates glucose intolerance, lipid disturbances and enhances insulin sensitivity in the HFD fed-obese rats.