Millet is an important food crop in Asia and Africa, but the health benefits of dietary millet are little known. This study defined the effects of dietary Japanese millet on diabetic mice. Feeding of a high-fat diet containing Japanese millet protein concentrate (JMP, 20% protein) to type 2 diabetic mice for 3 weeks significantly increased plasma levels of adiponectin and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) and decreased the levels of glucose and triglyceride as compared to control. The starch fraction of Japanese millet had no effect on glucose or adiponectin levels, but the prolamin fraction beneficially modulated plasma glucose and insulin concentrations as well as adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor-α gene expression. Considering the physiological significance of adiponectin and HDL cholesterol levels in type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease, our findings imply that dietary JMP has the potential to ameliorate these diseases.
Journal Article The Elevation of Plasma Concentration of High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Mice Fed with Protein from Proso Millet Get access Naoyuki Nishizawa, Naoyuki Nishizawa Department of Bioscience and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate 020, Japan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Yoshiharu Fudamoto Yoshiharu Fudamoto Department of Bioscience and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Morioka, Iwate 020, Japan Present address: Nippon Lever B. V., Shimidzu Factory, Shimidzu, Shizuoka 424, Japan. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, Volume 59, Issue 2, 1 January 1995, Pages 333–335, https://doi.org/10.1271/bbb.59.333 Published: 01 January 1995 Article history Received: 15 August 1994 Published: 01 January 1995
We studied the effect of dietary vinegar on calcium absorption by using ovariectomized rats fed on a low-calcium diet. The apparent absorption of calcium was higher when the rats were fed on a diet containing 1.6% vinegar for 32 days than when fed on a diet without vinegar (P < 0.05). The calcium content in the femur of the rats given diets containing 0.4% and 1.6% vinegar were also higher (P < 0.05). The serum parathyroid hormone level was lower and the crypt depth of the duodenum thicker in the rats fed on a diet containing 1.6% vinegar (P < 0.05). These results suggest that dietary vinegar enhanced intestinal calcium absorption by improving calcium solubility and by the trophic effect of the acetic acid contained in vinegar, which would reduce the bone turnover caused by ovariectomy and be helpful in preventing osteoporosis.
