Extra virgin coconut oil (Cocos nucifera L.) exerts anti-obesity effect by modulating adiposity and improves hepatic lipid metabolism, leptin and insulin resistance in diet-induced obese rats
Maria Helena Araújo de Vasconcelos, Renata Leite Tavares, Emanuel Ubaldino Torres, Victor Augusto Mathias Dorand, Kamila Sabino Batista, Lydiane Tavares Toscano, Alexandre Sérgio Silva, Ângela Maria Tribuzy de Magalhães Cordeiro, Bruno Ranieri Lins de Albuquerque Meireles, Rubens da Silva Araújo, Adriano Francisco Alves, Jailane de Souza Aquino
Abstract
Few studies have addressed the effect of extra virgin coconut oil (E-VCO) in obesity. Therefore, this study investigated the anti-adiposity effect of E-VCO focusing on biochemical parameters and liver health of obese rats. E-VCO contains caprilyc, capric and lauric fatty acids and rutin, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, salicylic acid as major phenolic compounds. A total of 32 male Wistar rats were randomized into four groups: healthy; healthy treated with E-VCO; obese; obese treated with E-VCO. The rats consumed a control or cafeteria diet for 16 weeks. The treated groups received 3,000 mg/kg of E-VCO via gavage. E-VCO reduced body mass and adiposity index and improved hormonal parameters. E-VCO also decreased the accumulation of liver fat, hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride levels, increased faecal cholesterol excretion and decreased faecal triglycerides excretion. E-VCO had an anti-adiposity effect and reversed changes in liver and adipose tissues induced by obesity with improvements in metabolic parameters.