β-Sitosterol Shows Potential to Protect Against the Development of High-Fructose Diet-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction in Female Rats

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a combination of risk factors that include insulin resistance, obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. The consumption of high-fructose diets contributes to the development of MetS. β-sitosterol a naturally occurring phytosterol possesses antiobesogenic and antidiabetic effects. This study evaluated the potential protective effect of β-sitosterol against the development of metabolic dysfunction in growing female rats fed a high-fructose diet, mimicking children fed obesogenic diets. Thirty-five 21-day-old female Sprague Dawley rat pups were randomly allocated to and administered the following treatments: group 1 - standard rat chow (SRC) + plain drinking water (PW) + plain gelatine cube (PC); group 2 - SRC + 20% w/w fructose solution (FS) as drinking fluid + PC; group 3 - SRC + FS + 100 mg/kg fenofibrate in gelatine cubes; group 4 - SRC + FS + 20 mg/kg β-sitosterol gelatine cube (Bst); and group 5 - SRC + PW + Bst. Following 12 weeks of feeding, the rats were fasted overnight, weighed, and then euthanized. Plasma cholesterol, insulin, glucose, triglyceride, and adiponectin concentrations were determined. Visceral fat was dissected out and weighed. The high-fructose diet increased (P < .05) visceral adiposity and plasma triglyceride concentration but decreased (P < .05) plasma adiponectin concentration. β-sitosterol prevented the high-fructose diet-induced visceral obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypoadiponectinemia. β-sitosterol alone increased plasma adiponectin concentration and reduced plasma insulin concentration and homeostatic model assessment index. In conclusion, β-sitosterol could be potentially used to prevent high-fructose diet-induced metabolic dysfunction.