Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) Stalk and Leaf Supplementation Improves Glucose Homeostasis and Insulin Resistance Markers in Liver of Mice Exposed to a High-Fat Diet

Abstract

Abstract Background Although beet stalks and leaves are not consumed and are usually discarded, they are an important source of bioactive flavonoids possessing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, which could be explored to prevent metabolic disorders associated with an unhealthy diet. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of supplementation with beet (Beta vulgaris L.) stalks and leaves on metabolic parameters and glucose homeostasis in mice exposed to a high-fat diet.Methods Six-week-old male Swiss mice were randomly divided into five experimental groups submitted to either standard diet (CT) or high-fat diet (HF), and HF-fed mice were subdivided into three treatment groups supplemented with oven-dehydrated beet stalks and leaves (SL), lyophilized beet stalks and leaves (Ly) or beet stalk and leaf extract (EX).Results Supplementation with SL was able to ameliorate glucose homeostasis (P < 0.05) with no alteration in hepatic triglyceride content. It remains to be clarified if the enhancement in the glucose homeostasis observed in HFSL could be a consequence of improvement in pancreatic insulin secretion and/or glucose uptake from skeletal muscle and white adipose tissues.Conclusions The current results suggest that beet stalks and leaves could be used as adjuvants to improve parameters related to glucose metabolism in the liver.