Bitter gourd flavored Non-Alcoholic Wheat Beer (NAWB) exhibited antidiabetic properties by modulating carbohydrate metabolizing enzymes and upregulates insulin and GLUT-2 mRNA expressions in High Fat Diet/Streptozotocin (HFD/STZ) induced diabetic rats

• Published in: Food production, processing and nutrition Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 1 - 12
• Main Authors: Akerele, Gbenga P., Adedayo, Bukola C., Oboh, Ganiyu, Ogunsuyi, Opeyemi B., Oyeleye, Idowu S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 01.11.2023
• Subjects: GLUT-2; Glycemic index; Insulin; Non-alcoholic beer; Type 2 diabetes
• ISSN: 2661-8974; 2661-8974
• DOI: 10.1186/s43014-023-00161-0

To improve the control of Type 2 diabetes (T2D), this study investigated the potential benefits of an alcohol-free beer flavored with bitter gourd leaves, a plant with proven hypoglycemic properties. The high fat/streptozotocin (HFD/STZ) model was used to induce diabetes in Wistar rats as test subjects. The rats were divided into eight groups ( n  = 5) as follows: HP (STZ + 100% Hops); BG (STZ + 100% Bitter Gourd); 75:25BG (STZ + 75% Hops; 25%BG); 50:50BG (STZ + 50%Hops50%Bitter Gourd); 25:75BG (STZ + 25%Hops75%Bitter Gourd); Acarbose (STZ + Acarbose); DC (STZ-diabetic control group); NC (Normal Control group). Following a 14-day treatment, there was a significant ( p  < 0.05) reduction in blood sugar, serum glucose, α-amylase activity, α-glucosidase activity, and lipase activity. As the percentage of bitter gourd inclusion increased, the expression of GLUT-2 and insulin genes was upregulated. The beer sample with the lowest percentage inclusion of Hops (25:75BG) had the lowest glycemic index (GI). The study suggested that bitter gourd-flavored alcohol-free beer reduces blood glucose through muptiple pathways and could be a useful dietary intervention in the management of type 2 diabetes. Graphical Abstract