Abstract
The main objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of yogurt supplementation on fat deposition, oxidative stress, inflammation and fibrosis in the liver of rats with high-fat (HF) diet-induced obesity. Male Wistar rats were used in this study and were separated into the following four different groups: the control, control + yogurt, high fat and high fat+ yogurt groups. The high fat groups received a HF diet for eight weeks. A 5% yogurt (w/w) supplement was also provided to rats fed the HF diet. Yogurt supplementation prevented glucose intolerance and normalized liver-specific enzyme activities in the HF diet-fed rats. Yogurt supplementation also significantly reduced the levels of oxidative stress markers in the plasma and liver of HF diet-fed rats. Moreover, inflammatory cell infiltration, collagen deposition and fibrosis in the liver of HF diet-fed rats were also prevented by yogurt supplementation. Furthermore, yogurt supplementation normalized the intestinal lining and brush border in HF diet-fed rats. This study suggests that yogurt supplementation potentially represents an alternative therapy for the prevention of metabolic syndrome in HF diet-fed rats.