The effect of garlic and stevia extract with aerobic exercise on hypothalamic leptin and ghrelin receptor mRNA expression and insulin resistance in obese rats.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on leptin and ghrelin receptor mRNA expression, as well as insulin and glucose interactions in obese rats.
Results Summary
Aerobic exercise significantly reduced ghrelin receptor mRNA levels in obese rats and showed improvements when combined with stevia or garlic, but did not significantly affect body weight or leptin receptor mRNA levels alone.
Population
Male Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet to induce obesity.
Effective Dosage
Gradually increasing aerobic walking program (specific details not provided).
Duration
12 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
high-fat diet | increase | body weight | obese (O) rats | - | experienced a significant increase | #1 |
garlic extract, stevia, aerobic exercise | no change | weight | treated rats | - | showed no significant changes | #2 |
high-fat diet | decrease | Leptin receptor mRNA levels | O rats | - | were significantly lower | #3 |
stevia | increase | Leptin receptor mRNA levels | OS group | - | increased significantly | #4 |
stevia and aerobic exercise | increase | Leptin receptor mRNA levels | OSE group | - | increased significantly | #5 |
high-fat diet | increase | Ghrelin receptor mRNA levels | O group | - | were significantly higher | #6 |
aerobic exercise | decrease | Ghrelin receptor mRNA levels | OE group | - | decreased | #7 |
garlic and aerobic exercise | decrease | Ghrelin receptor mRNA levels | OGE group | - | decreased | #8 |
stevia and aerobic exercise | decrease | Ghrelin receptor mRNA levels | OSE group | - | decreased | #9 |
high-fat diet | increase | Insulin resistance | O group | - | increased slightly | #10 |
stevia | decrease | Insulin resistance | OS group | - | was lowest | #11 |
stevia | increase | leptin and ghrelin receptor mRNA expression, glucose levels, and insulin resistance | obese rats | - | significantly improved | #12 |
BACKGROUND: Obesity has recently become the most prevalent diet-related disease worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise, stevia, and garlic extract on leptin and ghrelin receptor mRNA, as well as the interactions between insulin and glucose in relation to these genes. METHODS: A total of 50 male Wistar rats were split into two groups: one group was fed regular rodent food, while the other was fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks to induce obesity. The obese rats were then divided into six groups of five (N = 5) based on Lee's index: an obese control group (OC), obese treated with garlic, stevia (OGS), obese aerobic exercise (OE), obese garlic and aerobic exercise (OGE), Obese stevia and aerobic exercise (OSE), and a Normal weight group (NC). The exercise groups participated in a gradually increasing aerobic walking program, whereas the stevia and garlic groups received daily oral doses of their respective extracts. The expression of leptin and ghrelin receptor genes in the hypothalamus was measured using real-time PCR, and insulin resistance was calculated using the HOMA/IR formula. Statistical analysis was conducted using ANOVA, with a significance level set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The obese (O) rats experienced a significant increase in body weight compared with the control (C) rats (p = 0.013), whereas the treated rats showed no significant changes in weight. Leptin receptor mRNA levels were significantly lower in O rats than in C rats (p = 0.00), but increased significantly in the OS (p = 0.000) and OSE (p = 0.034) groups compared with obese rats. Ghrelin receptor mRNA levels were significantly higher in the O group than in the C group (p = 0.035), but decreased in all treatment groups, with the OE (p = 0.001), OGE (p = 0.001), and OSE (p = 0.004) groups showing the greatest reductions. Insulin resistance increased slightly in the O group compared with the C group (p = 0.112), but was lowest in the OS group among all groups (p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Stevia significantly improved leptin and ghrelin receptor mRNA expression, glucose levels, and insulin resistance in obese rats, showing its potential as an effective dietary intervention for managing obesity.