Effect of low fat high protein diets in the presence of Arabic gum on weight loss of obese rats.

Abstract

Obesity is considered a serious disease affecting a large population worldwide. The present work was conducted to study the effect of low fat high protein diets in the absence or presence of Arabic gum on weight loss, some nutritional and biochemical parameters of obese rats. Normal male's albino rats (49) of Sprague Dawley Strain weighted 130 ± 5 g. were used in this study. The rats were divided into two main groups. The first main group (7 rats) fed on basal diet as a control negative group. The second main group (42 rats) were fed on high fat diet (HFD) for four weeks to induce obesity. After this period, the mean values of serum cholesterol, triglycerides and body weight gain were determined in the first and second main group to ensure obesity induction. The rats in the second main group was divided into seven subgroups (n=7rats) as follow: Subgroup (1) were fed on HFD as a control positive group, subgroup (2) were fed on HFD containing 5% Arabic gum AG, subgroups (3 and 4) were fed on low and very low caloric diets respectively [through the replacement of some dietary fat (saturated fat) with protein], subgroups (5 and 6) were fed on low fat high protein diets respectively and containing the same amount of AG used in subgroup (2),. The results in this study revealed that, the mean value of feed intake, body weight gain relative, liver weight decreased in all treated groups, as compared to obese groups. The mean values of serum glucose, leptin hormone, all lipid fractions (cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-c, the ratio between LDL-c/HDL-c and VLDL-c), kidney functions (uric acid, urea nitrogen and creatinine) and liver enzymes (aspartate amino transferase AST, alanine amino transferase ALT and alkaline phosphatase ALP) decreased significantly p<0.05 in all tested groups, while HDL-c increased in all treated groups, as compared to the obese group (control +ve group). The best results recorded for the groups treated with low and very low fat high protein diets containing AG. It is concluded supplemented rat high protein low fat diet with Arabic gum improvedthe nutritional and biological parameters of obese rats.