Lemon Juice Counteracts the Effect of Green Tea Decoction on Body Weight Gains, High Fat Diet Induced-Liver Steatosis, Total Antioxidant Status and Some Metabolic Parameters in Rats

Background: In previous studies, we reported that green tea decoction (GTD) cooked in boiling water for 15-min (15-min GTD) reduced body weight gain (BWG), glucose and lipid absorption and improved total antioxidant status (TAS) of rats fed normal or high-fat diet (HFD). However, the long-term effect of a mixture: 15-min GTD + lemon juice (LJ) on BWG, liver steatosis (LS), TAS, blood glucose and lipids is still unknown. Purpose The aim of the present study is to examine the long-term effect of 15-min GTD + LJ mixture on above parameters in rats fed HFD induced-obesity and LS. Methods Twenty-eight male rats were assigned to four groups with comparable body weights. During 9-weeks treatment, rats were given ad-libitum a basic diet (BD) or HFD to promote obesity and LS. The group 1 received the BD (BD group), the group 2 received HFD (HFD group), the group 3 received HFD + 15-min GTD (GTD group) and the group 4 received HFD + a mixture: 15-min GTD and LJ (GTDLJ group). Results The rats fed HFD had the highest BWG associated with an abundant LS spread than rats consumed BD. However, 15-min GTD significantly reduced the BWG and LS spread (p<0.001). GTD group showed also decreased plasma glucose, triglycerides and increased both TAS and GPX activities (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). Surprisingly, an abundant reappearance of several LS spread and a restore of BWG were observed in GTDLJ group compared to GTD group. The GTDLJ mixture also reversed the GTD effect on plasma glucose, TAS, GPX and blood iron. Conclusion These results show that 15-min GTD significantly reduces BWG, HFD induced-LS, plasma glucose, triglycerides, blood iron and improves TAS and GPX. However, the GTDLJ mixture partially or totally counteracts the effect of 15-min GTD on BWG, LS, plasma glucose, blood iron, TAS and GPX.