Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside from flaxseed delays the development of type 2 diabetes in Zucker rat

Previous research has suggested that type 1 diabetes mellitus may be due to oxidative stress. The role of oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes is not k nown. Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) antioxidant, obtained from fla xseed, has been reported to prevent type 1 diabetes in a rat model. However , its effectiveness in type 2 diabetes is not known. An investigation was m ade of the effects of SDG Isolated from flaxseed (40 mg/kg body wt, orally in drinking water) on the development of diabetes in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF)/Gmi-fa/fa female rats, a model of human type 2 diabetes, to determine whether this type of diabetes is due to oxidative stress and whether SDG c ould prevent the development of diabetes, A total of 10 Zucker lean control and 26 ZDF rats were used in this study. Incidence of diabetes was 100% in untreated and 20% in SDG-treated IDF rats by the age of 72 days (P < .01). The rats that did not develop diabetes by 72 days of age in the SDG-treate d group developed diabetes later on (age 72 to 99 days) except for 10% of t he rats that did not develop diabetes for the duration of the study (101 da ys of age), suggesting that SDG retarded the development of diabetes. Diabe tes was associated with an increase in oxidative stress as suggested by an Increase In serum malondialdehyde (P < .01). Also, diabetes was associated with an increase in serum total cholesterol and triglycerides (P < .05) and glycated hemoglobin Ale (P < .05). ZDF rats treated with SDG that did not develop diabetes by 70 days of age had no increase in oxidative stress, ser um total cholesterol, and glycated hemoglobin. These results suggest that t ype 2 diabetes is associated with an increase in oxidative stress and that SDG is effective in retarding the development of diabetes.