Abstract
The main objective of this study is to determine the effects of apple vinegar on the metabolic changes caused by hypercaloric diet in Wistar rats. Apple vinegar was first analyzed to find out the total acidity, the polyphenolic and flavonoid contents, the total antioxidant capacity, and the free radical scavenging activity. In vivo study on adult male and female Wistar rats was conducted by administering a drink containing either 10% D-glucose or water (control) for five weeks. Apple vinegar is administered daily by gavage (2 mL/kg) to rats fed D-glucose for 5 weeks. The results showed that the polyphenolic content in apple vinegar was 148.02 ± 10.16 mg GAE/100 mL, flavonoid content was 22.93 ± 0.73 QE/100 mL, and total antioxidant capacity was 13.4 ± 0.47 mg AAE/100 mL. Free radical IC(50) apple vinegar scavenging activity (DPPH) was 0.74 ± 0.154 μL/mL. The total acidity was (3.24 ± 0.02 mg AAE/100 mL). The treatment during five weeks with D-glucose leads to increased plasma glucose, lipid profile, hepatic enzyme levels, urea, and creatinine. Simultaneous treatment with apple vinegar improves the parameters studied. These results clearly show that the daily consumption of vinegar can reduce the rise in blood sugar and lipid profile induced by hypercaloric diet in rats. Therefore, the use of apple vinegar would have a very beneficial effect in the prevention of metabolic disorders caused by high-caloric food.