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Cardioprotective Effects of Red Raspberries in Obesity‐prone Rats
Author(s) -
Kirakosyan Ara,
Seymour E Mitchell,
Kondoleon Nicholas,
Wolforth Janet,
Bolling Steven
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.lb284
Subject(s) - medicine , blowing a raspberry , obesity , ejection fraction , diabetes mellitus , endocrinology , calorie , heart failure , cardiology , blood pressure , food science , biology
The intake of red raspberry fruit is inversely related to cardiac risk factors and cardiovascular disease. In this study, the effect of red raspberry intake was assessed in obesity‐prone, Zucker Fatty rats as a model of cardiometabolic risk. For 8 weeks, rats were fed a higher‐fat diet (45% of kcal) containing 2% (wt/wt) freeze‐dried whole raspberry powder (RSP) or added sugars (CON) to match macronutrient and calorie content. RSP reduced fasting triglycerides and fasting glucose but did not appear to affect fasting insulin, fasting low‐density lipoprotein, or body weight gain. RSP trended but did not significantly reduce systolic blood pressure, but did significantly reduce heart rate relative to time‐matched CON rats. Noteworthy, compared to CON, RSP significantly reduced left ventricular (LV) enlargement and wall thickening as measured by echocardiography, without impacting ejection fraction. LV remodeling is a known risk factor for and precursor to heart failure. Ongoing studies of LV tissue will reveal molecular changes related to inflammation and fibrosis. Red raspberries could be an excellent candidate for dietary management cardiometabolic risk, including risk for Type‐2 diabetes. Also, intake of red raspberries could reduce eventual pathologies like heart failure, which in the US, is the leading diagnosis over the age of 65. Support or Funding Information Acknowledgements: This study was supported by National Processed Raspberry Council grant