Effects of Western, Vegetarian, and Japanese dietary fat model diets with or without green tea extract on the plasma lipids and glucose, and liver lipids in mice. A long-term feeding experiment.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of three model diets containing different fats, with or without a small amount of green tea extract (GTE), on plasma lipids and glucose, and liver lipids in mice.


METHODS
Male mice (2 months old) fed 10% fat diets with Western (W), Vegetarian (V), and Japanese (J) fat compositions with or without 0.03% GTE for 7 months.


RESULTS
The concentrations of plasma and liver total cholesterol in animals fed the W diet were not significantly different from those fed the J diet. Plasma triacylglycerol (TG) concentrations were significantly different from one another in the following order: V > J > W diet groups. GTE supplementation significantly reduced plasma and liver TG content only in V diet group. Plasma glucose (Glu) concentrations were in the following order: W > V > J diet groups, and the GTE supplementation reduced the concentration of Glu in each diet group. The ratios of plasma n-6 to n-3 fatty acids were in the following order: V > W > J diet groups, regardless of GTE supplementation.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings show the possibility that Japanese eating habits combined with drinking green tea might be a factor in preventing the onset of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
National Food Research Institute, Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. nshinya@nfri.affrc.go.jp
Nobuya
N
Shirai
Hiramitsu
H
Suzuki
D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control; D004032:Diet; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation; D013662:Tea; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D001786:Blood Glucose; D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013662:Tea; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol