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Does honey have any salutary effect against streptozotocin - induced diabetes in rats?

  • Open Access
  • 01-12-2017
  • Research Article
Published in:

Abstract

Background

Diabetes is a global, growing and costly public health problem. In the literature, there are conflicting reports on the effect of consumption of bee honey on diabetes. We assessed the possible effect of a commercially available bee honey (given orally by gavage at doses of 1 g/kg/day for 4 weeks) on the blood concentrations of glucose, insulin and leptin and body weight of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

Methods

Thirty-six rats were allocated randomly into six groups equally and treated for 4 weeks as follows: Group.1: non-diabetic rats given distilled water, group.2: non-diabetic rats given honey (1 g/kg), group.3: Diabetic rats given distilled water, group.4: Diabetic rats given honey, group.5: Diabetic rats given insulin (10 IU/kg), and group.6: Diabetic rats given combination of insulin (10 IU/kg) with honey (1 g/kg). The body weight, blood glucose, insulin and leptin concentrations of each rat were measured.

Results

Honey treatment did not significantly affect the glucose, leptin and insulin concentrations of diabetic rats. It did not significantly affect the excessive water intake or urinary output in diabetic rats when compared to the insulin-treated groups. Neither honey nor insulin improved body weight in diabetic rats.

Conclusion

Contrary to the reports of a salutary effect of honey in diabetic humans and rodents, our results showed that consumption of honey caused no significant changes in body weight, or glucose and insulin concentrations. However, further studies with different doses and durations of treatment are warranted.
Title
Does honey have any salutary effect against streptozotocin - induced diabetes in rats?
Authors
Zakariya M. Al Aamri
Badreldin H. Ali
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 2251-6581
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40200-016-0278-y
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