B Vitamins Can Reduce Body Weight Gain by Increasing Metabolism-related Enzyme Activities in Rats Fed on a High-Fat Diet

• Published in: Current medical science Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 174 - 183
• Main Authors: Zheng, Ying, Ma, Ai-guo, Zheng, Ming-ci, Wang, Qiu-zhen, Liang, Hui, Han, Xiu-xia, Schouten, Evert G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wuhan Huazhong University of Science and Technology 01.02.2018
• Subjects: Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; body weight gain; rats; enzyme activities; B vitamins; obesity
• ISSN: 2096-5230; 2523-899X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11596-018-1862-9

B vitamins are enzyme cofactors that play an important role in energy metabolism. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether B vitamin administration can reduce body weight (BW) gain by improving energy metabolism-related enzyme activities in rats fed on a highfat diet. Fifty rats were randomly assigned to one of the following five groups: control group (C), including rats fed on standard rat chow; four treatment groups (HO, HI, H2, and H3), in which rats were fed on a high-fat diet. Rats in the HI group were treated daily with 100 mg/kg BW thiamine (VB1), 100 mg/kg BW riboflavin (VB2), and 250 mg/kg BW niacin (VPP); rats in the H2 group were treated daily with 100 mg/kg BW pyridoxine (VB6), 100 mg/kg BW cobalamin (VB12), and 5 mg/kg BW folate (FA); and rats in the H3 group were treated daily with all of the B vitamins administered to the HI and H2 groups. After 12 weeks, the BW gains from the initial value were 154.5±58.4 g and 159.1±53.0 g in the HI and C groups, respectively, which were significantly less than the changes in the HO group (285.2±14.8 g, P <0.05). In the HO group, the plasma total cholesterol (CHO) and triglyceride (TG) levels were 1.59±0.30 mmol/L and 1,55±0.40 mmol/L, respectively, which were significantly greater than those in the HI group (1.19±0.18 mmol/L and 0.76±0.34 mmol/L, respectively, P <0.05). The activities of transketolase (TK), glutathione reductase, and Na + /K + adenosine triphosphatase were significantly increased in the B vitamin-treated groups and were significantly greater than those in the HO group ( P <0.05). Furthermore, the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvic acid kinase, and succinate dehydrogenase activities also were increased after treatment with B vitamins. Supplementation with B vitamins could effectively reduce BW gain and plasma levels of lipids by improving energy metabolism-related enzyme activities in rats, thus possibly providing potential benefits to humans.