Dietary supplementation with cacao liquor proanthocyanidins prevents elevation of blood glucose levels in diabetic obese mice
Received 4 August 2006; accepted 15 January 2007. published online 13 March 2007.
Abstract
Objective
Effective approaches should be established to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus, which has been increasing in developed countries. The present study examined whether dietary supplementation with cacao liquor proanthocyanidins (CLPr) could prevent elevation of blood glucose levels in mice with diabetes mellitus and obesity.
Methods
C57BL/KsJ-db/db (db/db) diabetic obese mice and C57BL/KsJ-db/+m (db/+m) control mice were fed a diet containing 0% w/w CLPr (0% CLPr), 0.5% w/w CLPr (0.5% CLPr), or 1.0% w/w CLPr (1.0% CLPr) from age 3 wk to age 6 wk. Levels of blood glucose were measured at 4 and 5 wk of age. The animals were sacrificed and the levels of blood glucose and fructosamine were measured at 6 wk of age.
Results
The levels of blood glucose and fructosamine were higher in the db/db mice than in the db/+m mice fed a diet containing 0%, 0.5%, or 1.0% CLPr. In the db/+m mice, the levels of blood glucose or fructosamine were not significantly different across animals fed 0% CLPr, 0.5% CLPr, and 1.0% CLPr. In the db/db mice, however, a diet containing 0.5% or 1.0% CLPr decreased the levels of blood glucose and fructosamine compared with that containing 0% CLPr without significant effects on body weights or food consumption.
Conclusion
Dietary supplementation with CLPr can dose-dependently prevent the development of hyperglycemia in diabetic obese mice. The dietary intake of food or drinks produced from cacao beans might be beneficial in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
aGerodontology, Department of Gerodontology, Division of Gerontology and Gerodontology, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan
bEnvironmental Health Sciences Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibaraki, Japan
cInflammation and Immunology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
dFunctional Foods Evaluation Group, Food and Health R&D Laboratories, Meiji Seika Kaisha, Ltd., Saitama, Japan
ABSTRACT