Short-term consequences of daily consumption of the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) diet in normal and diabetic rats

Background and Aim: Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (Quinoa) is a nutrient-dense pseudocereal with potential therapeutic benefits for metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus. However, the safety and efficacy of varying concentrations of dietary quinoa on metabolic and histological parameters in d...

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Main Authors: Murali Adiga, S. D. Manjula, Dhiren Punja, Chakravarthy Marx Sadacharan, Dinesh Upadhya, K. Vasanthalaxmi, Nanda Acharya, Chinmay Suryavanshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Veterinary World 2025-06-01
Series:Veterinary World
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Online Access:https://www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.18/June-2025/29.pdf
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author Murali Adiga
S. D. Manjula
Dhiren Punja
Chakravarthy Marx Sadacharan
Dinesh Upadhya
K. Vasanthalaxmi
Nanda Acharya
Chinmay Suryavanshi
author_facet Murali Adiga
S. D. Manjula
Dhiren Punja
Chakravarthy Marx Sadacharan
Dinesh Upadhya
K. Vasanthalaxmi
Nanda Acharya
Chinmay Suryavanshi
author_sort Murali Adiga
collection DOAJ
description Background and Aim: Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (Quinoa) is a nutrient-dense pseudocereal with potential therapeutic benefits for metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus. However, the safety and efficacy of varying concentrations of dietary quinoa on metabolic and histological parameters in diabetic and non-diabetic models remain underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of different quinoa supplementation levels (0%, 20%, 40%, and 80%) on glycemic control, lipid metabolism, hepatic and renal function, hematological indices, and organ histopathology in normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to eight groups (n = 6 each) based on diabetic status and dietary quinoa concentration. Diabetes was induced using low-dose STZ (25 mg/kg). Animals received the respective quinoa-enriched diets for 30 days. Blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, lipid profiles, liver/kidney function markers, and complete blood counts were analyzed. Histological assessments of liver and kidney tissues were also performed. Results: Diabetic rats receiving 40% and 80% quinoa diets exhibited significant reductions in fasting blood glucose (p < 0.05) and alanine transaminase levels (p < 0.01), indicating improved glycemic and hepatic function. Very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased significantly in all quinoa-fed diabetic groups, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased notably in the 20% quinoa group (p < 0.05). Normal rats showed no adverse changes across biochemical or hematological indices. Histological analysis confirmed the absence of morphological abnormalities in hepatic and renal tissues in all groups. Conclusion: Short-term dietary quinoa supplementation, particularly at 40% and 80% inclusion levels, effectively improves glycemic and lipid profiles and mitigates liver enzyme elevations in diabetic rats without compromising health parameters in normal controls. The findings support quinoa’s potential as a safe dietary adjunct in managing diabetes-related metabolic dysfunctions.
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spelling doaj-art-3512aee4eccc45289c0286f3f5d3d0be2025-08-20T03:27:56ZengVeterinary WorldVeterinary World0972-89882231-09162025-06-011861715172410.14202/vetworld.2025.1715-1724Short-term consequences of daily consumption of the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) diet in normal and diabetic ratsMurali Adiga0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1829-4188S. D. Manjula1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7274-8048Dhiren Punja2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5962-9792Chakravarthy Marx Sadacharan3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9981-1641Dinesh Upadhya4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0673-9765K. Vasanthalaxmi5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0974-0577Nanda Acharya6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9365-2996Chinmay Suryavanshi7https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6952-5262Department of Physiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.Department of Physiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.Department of Physiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, University of Houston, Texas, USA.Center for Molecular Neurosciences, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.Department of Physiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.Department of Physiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.Department of Physiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.Background and Aim: Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (Quinoa) is a nutrient-dense pseudocereal with potential therapeutic benefits for metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus. However, the safety and efficacy of varying concentrations of dietary quinoa on metabolic and histological parameters in diabetic and non-diabetic models remain underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of different quinoa supplementation levels (0%, 20%, 40%, and 80%) on glycemic control, lipid metabolism, hepatic and renal function, hematological indices, and organ histopathology in normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to eight groups (n = 6 each) based on diabetic status and dietary quinoa concentration. Diabetes was induced using low-dose STZ (25 mg/kg). Animals received the respective quinoa-enriched diets for 30 days. Blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, lipid profiles, liver/kidney function markers, and complete blood counts were analyzed. Histological assessments of liver and kidney tissues were also performed. Results: Diabetic rats receiving 40% and 80% quinoa diets exhibited significant reductions in fasting blood glucose (p < 0.05) and alanine transaminase levels (p < 0.01), indicating improved glycemic and hepatic function. Very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased significantly in all quinoa-fed diabetic groups, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased notably in the 20% quinoa group (p < 0.05). Normal rats showed no adverse changes across biochemical or hematological indices. Histological analysis confirmed the absence of morphological abnormalities in hepatic and renal tissues in all groups. Conclusion: Short-term dietary quinoa supplementation, particularly at 40% and 80% inclusion levels, effectively improves glycemic and lipid profiles and mitigates liver enzyme elevations in diabetic rats without compromising health parameters in normal controls. The findings support quinoa’s potential as a safe dietary adjunct in managing diabetes-related metabolic dysfunctions.https://www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.18/June-2025/29.pdfdiabetes mellitusdietary interventionglycemic controllipid profileliver functionquinoarat modelstreptozotocin
spellingShingle Murali Adiga
S. D. Manjula
Dhiren Punja
Chakravarthy Marx Sadacharan
Dinesh Upadhya
K. Vasanthalaxmi
Nanda Acharya
Chinmay Suryavanshi
Short-term consequences of daily consumption of the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) diet in normal and diabetic rats
Veterinary World
diabetes mellitus
dietary intervention
glycemic control
lipid profile
liver function
quinoa
rat model
streptozotocin
title Short-term consequences of daily consumption of the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) diet in normal and diabetic rats
title_full Short-term consequences of daily consumption of the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) diet in normal and diabetic rats
title_fullStr Short-term consequences of daily consumption of the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) diet in normal and diabetic rats
title_full_unstemmed Short-term consequences of daily consumption of the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) diet in normal and diabetic rats
title_short Short-term consequences of daily consumption of the quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) diet in normal and diabetic rats
title_sort short term consequences of daily consumption of the quinoa chenopodium quinoa willd diet in normal and diabetic rats
topic diabetes mellitus
dietary intervention
glycemic control
lipid profile
liver function
quinoa
rat model
streptozotocin
url https://www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.18/June-2025/29.pdf
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