Objective: To determine and compare the effect of diet supplementation with dry, powdered Stevia leaf and its highly purified Rebaudioside A glycoside, on obesity induced oxidative stress in a murine model.
Methodology: This experimental study included 120 Sprague Dawley male rats divided in four groups with 30 animals in each group. Normal control (Group 1, n=30), was fed an ordinary diet. Ninety rats were made obese by administration of a high fat diet (HFD) for eight weeks and after confirmation of obesity, using Lee Index, were randomly allocated to group 2 (Obese control), group 3 (obese+Stevia) and group 4 (Obese+Rebaudioside A). HFD was continued for a further six weeks along with supplementation with Stevia leaf powder (group 3) and Rebaudioside A (group 4). Oxidative stress was determined by testing testicular tissue supernatant for Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Catalase (CAT) activity using animal kits.
Results: Obesity caused a significant increase in tissue levels of MDA (p
Key words: Oxidative stress, antioxidant, obesity, nutraceutical, stevia, Rebaudioside A.
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