title: High salt intake does not aggravate glucose dysregulation and dyslipidemia induced by estrogen-progestin oral contraceptive.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Estrogen-progestogen combined oral contraceptive (OC) use has been associated with increased cardiometabolic risk factors, including glucose dysregulation, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and pro-inflammatory state. However, the effect of a high-salt diet on these risk factors during OC use is not yet investigated. We therefore hypothesized that a high-salt diet would increase cardiometabolic risk factors in female rats treated with a combination of OC steroids, levonorgestrel (L) and ethinylestradiol (EE), and that elevated plasma levels of pro-inflammatory markers are associated with the cardiometabolic effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female Wistar rats were given (p.o.) vehicle, high-dose (1.0μg EE plus 5.0μgL) or low-dose (0.1μg EE plus 0.5μgL) OC with or without a high-salt diet (8%) daily for 8 weeks. Insulin resistance (IR) was estimated using the homeostatic model of assessment (HOMA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results showed that OC treatment or high salt diet led to significant increases in insulin resistance, plasma insulin, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), TC/HDL-cholesterol, uric acid levels, and decreased glucose tolerance. OC treatment but not a high-salt diet resulted in increased plasma C-reactive protein and TG/HDL-cholesterol. However, a high-salt diet did not aggravate the effects of OC treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results from the present study indicate that glucose dysfunction and dyslipidemia induced by OC use, but not those induced by increased dietary salt are associated with elevated plasma C-reactive protein. Besides, increased dietary salt does not worsen abnormal cardiometabolic impact of OC use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Oluwaseun A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Adeyanju
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Taofeek O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Usman
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Aboyeji L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Oyewole
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Pathology and Immunology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Sikiru A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Biliaminu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria; Cardiovascular Research Institute and Department of Pharmacology, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: tunjilaw04@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Lawrence A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Olatunji
keywords: Dyslipidemia; High salt; Inflammatory marker; Insulin resistance; Oral contraceptive