Abstract

I. Onyesom¹*, D. Oriero¹, A. C. Okolo and K. E. Pender²

Heavy consumption of alcohol has been observed to impair the mechanisms by which the body regulates blood glucose and lipid concentrations and these biochemical disturbances cause “Metabolic Syndrome”. The rising degree of this syndrome among alcoholics constitute threat to good health and life expectancy, yet there are no adequate measures to check the growing menace. Thus, this study attempts to investigate the effect of “zobo”, an indigenous herbal beverage, on alcoholinduced changes in feed consumption, body weight, blood glucose and lipid levels in experimental albino rabbits. Twenty (20) male albino rabbits with an initial mean weight of 1.47±0.03kg and about 4 months old were purchased and divided into 4 groups with 5 animals each. Group A, the control group, received 1.10g normal saline/kg body weight, while group B animals were given 1.10g (30%) ethanol/ kg body weight. Group C rabbits were administered with 1.10g (30%) ethanol + 0.36g “zobo”/kg body weight, but group D animals were treated with same amounts of “zobo” and normal saline in lieu of ethanol. All administrations were via oral route and each treatment was over a routine period of 20 weeks. Results show that at the end of the 20th week, ethanol administration significantly (P<0.05) reduced the amount of feed consumed, body weight, blood glucose and HDL-cholesterol by 19.3%, 17.0%, 60.9%, and 23.6% respectively, but triacyclglycerol (TAG) and LDL-cholesterol contents were increased (P<0.05) by 49.2% and 46.7%. However, ethanol + “zobo” administration reduced feed consumed, body weight, blood glucose, and HDL-cholesterol by 4.8%, 10.2%, 20.6%, and 15.7%, respectively, but increased TAG (23.7%; P>0.05) and LDL-cholesterol (19.2%; P>0.05). Our study suggests that heavy consumption of alcohol could reduce appetite and complicate the metabolism of nutrients and weight maintenance, but “zobo”, seems to posses the potential of alleviating the biochemical features of ‘Metabolic Syndrome’ associated with chronic and excessive consumption of ethanol. “Zobo” should be further studied for possible therapeutic benefits in the management of alcohol-induced disorders.

“Zobo”; Alcohol; Glucose; HDL-cholesterol; LDL-cholesterol; Metabolic Syndrome

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