Dietary Consumption of Virgin Coconut Oil Ameliorates Lipid Profiles in Diabetic Rats

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is a saturated fat with promising antidiabetic properties but its ameliorative effect on lipid profiles in diabetics is rarely reported. Therefore, in this study, a total of fifteen (15) male rats weighing 200–250？g were divided into 3 experimental groups (). Group I (control) and Group II (diabetic control group) were fed a normal rat chow while Group III (diabetic test group) was fed a 10% VCO diet for 3 weeks. Group II and Group III were made diabetic by intraperitoneal injection of 150？mg/kg of alloxan. After 72 hours of injection, blood glucose was tested to confirm diabetes mellitus. After 3 weeks, the animals were sacrificed to collect blood samples for lipid profile analysis. The results showed a significant increase in concentrations of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, and very low density lipoprotein and decrease in concentration of high density lipoprotein in Group II when compared to Group I. Also, the concentrations of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, and very low density lipoprotein except high density lipoprotein significantly reduced in Group III when compared to Group II (, 0.001). VCO consumption can be claimed to ameliorate lipid levels in diabetes mellitus. 1. Introduction Diabetes mellitus is the most common serious metabolic disease in human with a hall mark of an elevated blood glucose concentration caused by a number of biochemical and physiological alterations [1]. It is a chronic menace to the entire human race without any cogent cure except management over some decades now. It is estimated that about 3.2 million diabetes related deaths are reported annually and this condition is worst in developing countries where the number of people afflicted is expected to increase by 150% by the year 2030 [2]. However, it is a metabolic disorder in which the level of blood glucose is persistently raised above normal range (80–100？mg/dL) due to oxidative stress which induces insulin resistance in the peripheral tissues (type 2 diabetes mellitus) and impairs insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells (type 1 diabetes mellitus). Furthermore, diabetes mellitus is characterized by excessive disturbance of carbohydrates, proteins and lipid metabolism, and thickening of capillary basement membrane throughout the body leading to long term complications such as renal dysfunction, neuropathy, retinopathy, and cardiovascular problems. Interestingly, among these complications, cardiovascular problems (especially atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease) are due to altered