Influence of various intermittent fasting regimens on body weight and glycemic control in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the effects of various intermittent fasting (IF) regimens, i.e., time-restricted fasting (TRF), alternate day fasting (ADF), and periodic fasting (PF) on body weight, glycemic control and associated metabolic parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats (aged 3 months) were randomly assigned to the normal control (NC), diabetic control (DC), TRF, ADF, and PF groups. Type 2 diabetes was induced in all groups, except for the NC group, by intramuscular administration of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg). The IF interventions were administered for 6 weeks. RESULTS: The rats in all the groups, except for the NC group, exhibited significant weight loss (31.4%, 46.4%, 31.0%, and 33.9% in the DC, TRF, ADF, and PF groups, respectively). The fasting blood glucose levels decreased to varying degrees, with the PF group showing the most significant decrease (77.0%), followed by the ADF (55.0%) and TRF (32.2%) groups. The plasma insulin levels were significantly lower in the experimental groups than in the NC group, but no significant effects were observed on the lipid profile. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings indicate that while the IF protocols led to body weight loss, they exhibited varying effects on glycemic control and other metabolic parameters.

Oral administration of naringenin and a mixture of coconut water and Arabic gum attenuate oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of oral administration of naringenin in combination with an aqueous mixture of coconut water (CW) and Arabic gum (AG) on renal function, lipid profile, antioxidant activity, and morphology in gentamicin-induced kidney injury in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty adult male Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups. 1-Negative control group, 2-positive control group (Gentamicin), 3-Naringenin+AG+CW, 4-Gentamicin+Naringenin+AG+CW: groups 2 and 4 were treated with gentamicin. After six weeks, the rats were anesthetized with diethyl ether, and blood was collected by cardiac puncture and dissected to collect the kidneys. Biochemical studies were performed to determine the levels of urea, creatinine, lipids, total antioxidant capacity, and lipid peroxide, antioxidant enzyme activity in the kidney, total phenolic content (TPC), radical-scavenging activity, calcium, magnesium, and potassium in AG, CW, and their mixture. Also, kidney histopathology was performed. RESULTS: Renal injury manifests as elevated serum urea and creatinine levels. A significant increase in total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and malondialdehyde (MDA) was also noted. The activities of antioxidant capacity (TAC) and reduced glutathione (GSH) significantly decreased in the serum. There was a reduction in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) activities in kidney homogenates. Gentamicin administration induces morphological changes in the kidneys. Oral administration of naringenin+AG+CW significantly overturned all of the above-mentioned abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the naringenin+AG+CW combination exhibited an additive effect against renal dysfunction and structural damage through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, as well as replenishing and balancing intracellular and extracellular electrolytes. Therefore, oral administration of these three ingredients could potentially provide better protection and serve as a unique therapeutic tool against nephrotoxicity caused by gentamicin.

Nutritional profile and energy density evaluation of common traditional meals in Arabic Gulf region.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe the energy and nutritional profile of common traditional meals in Arabic Gulf countries and extrapolate the usefulness of evaluating their energy density (ED) level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An analysis of 155 traditional meals commonly consumed in Arabic Gulf region was performed. The meals were categorized into four ED levels based on energy content as kcal per gram of meal weight. The meals were further classified according to their usual consumption pattern for the analysis. RESULTS: The average percentage of macronutrient composition of the meals was 50% as carbohydrate (CHO), 18% as protein and 32% as fat. The majority of the meals were categorized as moderate energy density (MED) (55%) and about 38% of them were categorized as low energy density (LED), whereas less than 8% of the foods were categorized either as very low energy density (VLED) or high energy density (HED). ED value (kcal/g) for sweets (SW) was the highest (2.9 ± 1.3, Mean ± SD) compared to appetizers (APT) (1.9 ± 0.9), main dishes (MD) (1.7 ± 0.9), and side dishes (SD) (1.8 ± 0.9). A negative correlation (p=0.000) between moisture content and ED was found in all meal types. A significant positive correlation (p<0.05) was found between CHO content and ED of all meal types except MD. Protein and fat contents positively correlated with ED in all meal types. CONCLUSIONS: The study illustrates that the number of HED meals among the common traditional meals in Arabian Gulf region is very limited. The data also suggest that common traditional meals in Arabic Gulf region can be part of a balanced diet to control energy intake if sweets consumption has been avoided.