Synergistic Effects of Chitosan and Fish Oil on Lipid Metabolism in Rats Fed a High-Fat and Low-Carbohydrate Diet

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 16; no. 23; p. 4080
• Main Authors: Liu, Shing-Hwa, Chang, Ting-Yu, Liu, Shih-Hou, Chiang, Meng-Tsan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.12.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue - drug effects; Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Animal experimentation; Animals; Bile; Carbohydrate metabolism; Carbohydrates; Cellulose; Chitosan - pharmacology; Cholesterol; Diabetes therapy; Diet; Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted; Diet, High-Fat - adverse effects; Enzymes; Fatty acids; Fatty liver; Fish oils; Fish Oils - administration & dosage; Fish Oils - pharmacology; High density lipoprotein; Laboratory animals; Lipid Metabolism - drug effects; Lipids; Liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Low density lipoprotein; Low-carbohydrate diet; Male; Metabolic disorders; Obesity; Obesity - metabolism; Oils & fats; Oxidation; Physiological aspects; Plasma; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Soybeans; Type 2 diabetes; Vegetable oils; Weight control; United States; Japan; Taiwan; Minneapolis Minnesota; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; chitosan; high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet; fish oil; lipid metabolism
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu16234080

Background/Objectives: Although high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets are used for weight loss and type 2 diabetes management, their high-fat content may have negative effects. This study examines the effects of replacing cellulose with chitosan and part of the fat with fish oil in a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet on lipid metabolism in rats. Methods: The experiment involved 35 six-week-old male SD rats, divided into five groups: normal control diet (ND), high-fat diet (HF), high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet (LC), LC with 5% chitosan (LC-CH), and LC with 5% chitosan and 5% fish oil (LC-CHF). Results: After 15 weeks, the HF group had the highest liver weight, and the LC group had the highest adipose tissue weight. The LC-CHF group showed significantly reduced body, liver, and adipose tissue weights, lower ALT, AST, TNF-α, and cholesterol levels, as well as improved liver enzyme activity and fat synthesis regulation. LC-CHF also promoted fat breakdown in adipose tissue, reducing adipocyte size. Conclusions: Our findings suggest the modified high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet with chitosan and fish oil improved obesity and fatty liver outcomes compared to a standard high-fat diet.