Alcohol Herbal Beverage and Ethanol Consumption in High-Fat Diet fed Rats Exacerbates Blood pressure, Insulin Resistance, dyslipidemia, and Cardio-hepatic inflammation.

The current study was designed to investigate the outcome of alcohol herbal beverages and ethanol consumption in high-fat diet-induced cardiometabolic syndrome (indices) in rats. The study consists of eight groups of 10 rats per cage. Groups 1-4 were fed a standard normal diet while groups 5-8 were initially fed on HFD for 3 weeks prior to alcohol herbal beverage (AHB), ethanol (EtOH) administration and then continually for 6 weeks. Our result showed that rats fed with HFD showed significant increase in weight gain, relative adipose weight, systolic blood pressure, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure, oral glucose tolerance test, insulin and insulin resistance, dramatically increased TNF-a, IL-6, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, triglyceride, total cholesterol and decrease superoxide dismutase, reduce glutathione, catalase in the liver and heart tissue. Meanwhile, alcohol herbal beverage (AHB), and ethanol (EtOH) administration alongside ND or HFD feeding showed similar effects and also indicated histopathology alteration. In conclusion, alcoholic herbal beverages and ethanol consumption in normal or high-fat diet feeding may cause impaired glucose tolerance, lipogenesis, elevated insulin level, insulin resistance, liver and heart tissue structural damage marked by elevated oxido-nitrosative stress, and inflammation.