Apple cider vinegar attenuates lipid profile in normal and diabetic rats.

In this study, the effect of apple cider vinegar on Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and lipid profile in normal and diabetic rats was investigated. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats (300+/-30 g) by the intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (60 mg kg(-1) of body weight). Both normal and diabetic animals were fed with standard animal food containing apple cider vinegar (6% w/w) for 4 weeks. Fasting blood glucose did not change, while HbA1c significantly decreased by apple cider vinegar in diabetic group (p<0.05). In normal rats fed with vinegar, significant reduction of low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) (p<0.005) and significant increase of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-c) levels (p<0.005) were observed. Apple cider vinegar also reduced serum triglyceride (TG) levels (p<0.005) and increased HDL-c (p<0.005) in diabetic animals. These results indicate that apple cider vinegar improved the serum lipid profile in normal and diabetic rats by decreasing serum TG, LDL-c and increasing serum HDL-c and may be of great value in managing the diabetic complications.

The effect of low and moderate fat intakes on the postprandial lipaemic and hormonal responses in healthy volunteers.

Present literature indicates that whereas an acute fat intake of 5 g does not elicit a postprandial triacylglycerolaemic response, 20 g of fat does. Since 67% of fat intake occasions involve fat doses of less than 20 g, the present study examined the effect of a relatively low-fat (LF) meal (0.2 g/kg body weight; mean 14 g) on postprandial triacylglycerol (TAG) metabolism, compared with a high-fat (HF) meal (0.6 g/kg body weight; mean 43 g), a fat dose which is more typical of laboratory studies. Plasma- and chylomicron-TAG concentrations increased significantly (P < or = 0.001) following both meals, and the increase was significantly (P < or = 0.02) greater after the HF meal. The postprandial areas under the curves and maximal postprandial TAG concentrations for plasma- and chylomicron-TAG were significantly higher following the HF meal (P < or = 0.05). Postprandial plasma insulin and gastric inhibitory polypeptide concentrations increased significantly (P < or = 0.001) after each meal, but there was no difference between the two meals. These data show that modest amounts of fat in a meal will elicit a measurable postprandial TAG response. Since postprandial lipaemia affects the composition and concentration of the TAG- and cholesterol-rich lipoproteins, controlling dietary TAG supply may influence the metabolic fate of these lipoproteins.

The effect of acute carbohydrate load on the monophasic or biphasic nature of the postprandial lipaemic response to acute fat ingestion in human subjects.

Previous studies in this laboratory have elicited a monophasic response in postprandial plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) level with fat intakes of 0.5 g fat/kg body weight accompanied by about 17 g carbohydrate as lactose. Recent studies involving the same level of fat with a higher level of carbohydrate, 136 g of which 60 g was sucrose, appeared to elicit a biphasic response. The present study compared these two test meals and showed a significant meal x time interaction for plasma total TAG (P = 0.0228) reflecting a monophasic response with the lower-carbohydrate test meal. The higher-carbohydrate meal induced significantly higher insulin and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide responses (P = 0.0009 and P = 0.0041 respectively). A significant meal x time interaction was seen for plasma non-esterified fatty acids (P = 0.0437). The biphasic plasma TAG response seen with the high-carbohydrate meal largely reflected the TAG-rich lipoprotein (TRL) or chylomicron fraction, which would tend to suggest a biphasic pattern of absorption. This was borne out by TRL-TAG fatty acid compositions. Both peak in the biphasic response showed active incorporation of the main dietary fatty acids, 18:1n-9, 18:2n-6 and 18:3n-3 into TRL-TAG. These results indicate that under the specific test-meal conditions used in the present study, a biphasic pattern of fat absorption was seen.