Effects of Pumpkin Water Extract Supplement on Serum Lipid and Fasting Glucose Levels in Female Collegians

ABSTRACT

To elucidate the effect of a 4 week dietary supplementation with pumpkin water extract on serum lipid and fasting glucose levels, 41 female collegians residing in the Gyeonggi area were recruited. The subjects were divided into three groups: placebo-control (PC, n=11), treatment A (TA, 100 ml/day, n=13), and treatment B (TB, 300 ml/day, n=17). Total serum cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), and fasting glucose were analyzed. The average age, height, weight, and body mass index of the subjects were 21.3 years, 161.1 cm, 53.0 kg, and 20.4 kg/m2, respectively. The average total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, TG, and fasting glucose level (mg/dl) were 171.4+/-26.1, 63.5+/-11.4, 92.6+/-22.9, 76.8+/-32.0, and 89.1+/-8.2, respectively. There were no significant differences among the three groups in any measured parameters, and between the pre- and post-study values of the all parameters. The results indicated that the 4 week pumpkin water extract supplementation (100 ml, 300 ml) did not influence the serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, TG and fasting glucose level in female collegians.