Dietary supplementation with cacao liquor proanthocyanidins prevents elevation of blood glucose levels in diabetic obese mice.
OBJECTIVE
Effective approaches should be established to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus, which has been increasing in developed countries. The present study examined whether dietary supplementation with cacao liquor proanthocyanidins (CLPr) could prevent elevation of blood glucose levels in mice with diabetes mellitus and obesity.


METHODS
C57BL/KsJ-db/db (db/db) diabetic obese mice and C57BL/KsJ-db/+m (db/+m) control mice were fed a diet containing 0% w/w CLPr (0% CLPr), 0.5% w/w CLPr (0.5% CLPr), or 1.0% w/w CLPr (1.0% CLPr) from age 3 wk to age 6 wk. Levels of blood glucose were measured at 4 and 5 wk of age. The animals were sacrificed and the levels of blood glucose and fructosamine were measured at 6 wk of age.


RESULTS
The levels of blood glucose and fructosamine were higher in the db/db mice than in the db/+m mice fed a diet containing 0%, 0.5%, or 1.0% CLPr. In the db/+m mice, the levels of blood glucose or fructosamine were not significantly different across animals fed 0% CLPr, 0.5% CLPr, and 1.0% CLPr. In the db/db mice, however, a diet containing 0.5% or 1.0% CLPr decreased the levels of blood glucose and fructosamine compared with that containing 0% CLPr without significant effects on body weights or food consumption.


CONCLUSIONS
Dietary supplementation with CLPr can dose-dependently prevent the development of hyperglycemia in diabetic obese mice. The dietary intake of food or drinks produced from cacao beans might be beneficial in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Tomaru
Makoto
M
Gerodontology, Department of Gerodontology, Division of Gerontology and Gerodontology, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan; Environmental Health Sciences Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibaraki, Japan.
Takano
Hirohisa
H
Osakabe
Naomi
N
Yasuda
Akiko
A
Inoue
Ken-ichiro
K
Yanagisawa
Rie
R
Ohwatari
Tsuneto
T
Uematsu
Hiroshi
H
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019270:Fructosamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008820:Mice, Obese; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D019518:Postprandial Period; D044945:Proanthocyanidins / Q000494:pharmacology*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D044945:Proanthocyanidins; D019270:Fructosamine