Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Flat Tummy Water Attenuates Lipid Profile and Serum Glucose of High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Female Wistar Rats

Patrick Chinedu Alor, Bruno Chukwuemeka Chinko

Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medical Research · pp. 19–28 · Published 31 Dec 2022

10.9734/jocamr/2022/v20i4421

Abstract

Background: Flat tummy water (FTW) is an herbal tonic preparation made from cucumber (Cucumis sativus), lemon (Citrus limon), ginger (Zingerber officinale) and mint leaf (Mentha piperita) and is believed to be effective in the reduction of central/abdominal fat. While the potency and efficacy of FTW are hardly known, the present study presents a scientific investigation of its effect on high-fat-induced obese Wistar rat models. Methods: FTW was constituted using measured quantities of cut and infused cucumber, lemon and mint leaf while the individual plants were extracted and mixed to obtain an extract mixture (EM). Twenty-five (25) female Wistar rats were used for the study. They were divided into five (5) groups of five (5) animals each. Groups 1 & 2 served as the normal and negative controls and received standard rat chow/distilled water and high-fat diet/distilled water respectively. Groups 3, 4 & 5 served as the experimental groups. Group 3 received FTW ad libitum while groups 4 & 5 received 25 and 50mg/kg of extract mixtures (EM) respectively alongside the formulated high-fat diet. Lipid profile and serum glucose were determined using standard colourimetric methods. The body weight, naso-anal length, abdominal and thoracic circumferences (AC/TC) of the animals were measured before and after the experiment.   Results: There was a significantly reduced total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoproteins, very low-density lipoproteins and serum glucose and significantly increased high-density proteins among the obese animals treated with FTW and EM compared to the untreated obese negative control (p<0.05). The study also observed reduced body weight, AC/TC ratio and lee obesity index among treated obese animals when compared with the untreated negative control (p<0.05). Conclusion: The present study shows that the oral administration of flat tummy water (FTW) as well as extracts mixtures (EM) led to a moderate decrease in central abdominal obesity. FTW and EM showed potent anti-hyperlipidaemic, anti-hyperglycaemic and anti-obesity activity. This study concludes that these observed effects could be due to the synergistic action of cucumber (Cucumis sativus), lemon (Citrus limon), ginger (Zingerber officinale) and mint leaf (Mentha piperita).

Flat tummy water lipid profile serum glucose AC/TC ratio lee index

References (58)

  1. 1 Estimation of the Concentration of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Plasma, Without Use of the Preparative Ultracentrifuge [DOI]
  2. 2 Obesity : Preventing and managing the global epidemic
  3. 3 Obesity as a medical problem [DOI]
  4. 4 Metabolic Syndrome as a Precursor of Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus [DOI]
  5. 5 Health consequences of obesity [DOI]
  6. 6 Effect of dietary fatty acids on serum lipids and lipoproteins. A meta-analysis of 27 trials. [DOI]
  7. 7 Overweight, Obesity, and Health Risk [DOI]
  8. 8 Anthropometrical parameters and markers of obesity in rats [DOI]
  9. 9 Regulatory interactions between lipids and carbohydrates: the glucose fatty acid cycle after 35 years [DOI]
  10. 10 Development of high fat diet-induced obesity and leptin resistance in C57Bl/6J mice [DOI]
  11. 11 Phytochemical screening of Nigerian medicinal plants II.
  12. 12 Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Mentha piperita L. [DOI]
  13. 13 Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology
  14. 14 Trease and Evans' pharmacognosy [DOI]
  15. 15 A systematic review of anti-obesity medicinal plants - an update [DOI]
  16. 16 Effects of phytosomal curcumin on anthropometric parameters, insulin resistance, cortisolemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease indices: a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial [DOI]
  17. 17 Pharmacological properties of citrus and their ancient and medieval uses in the Mediterranean region [DOI]
  18. 18 Obesity and medicinal plants [DOI]
  19. 19 Flavonoids and Their Metabolites: Prevention in Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes [DOI]
  20. 20 The obesity epidemic – Nature via nurture: A narrative review of high-income countries [DOI]
  21. 21 Zingiber officinale: a natural gold
  22. 22 A Review of Biologically Active Natural Products from Mediterranean Wild Edible Plants: Benefits in the Treatment of Obesity and Its Related Disorders [DOI]
  23. 23 Phytochemical analysis and antimicrobial potential of methanolic leaf extract of peppermint (Mentha piperita: Lamiaceae) [DOI]
  24. 24 Antimicrobial and antioxidant efficacy of Citrus limon L. peel extracts used for skin diseases by Xhosa tribe of Amathole District, Eastern Cape, South Africa [DOI]
  25. 25 A review of medicinal uses and pharmacological effects of Mentha piperita
  26. 26 Alternative Treatments for Weight Loss: Safety/Risks and Effectiveness of Anti-Obesity Medicinal Plants [DOI]
  27. 27 Hypoglycemic and Hypolipidemic Effects of Cucumber, White Pumpkin and Ridge Gourd in Alloxan Induced Diabetic Rats [DOI]
  28. 28 Effect of aqueous extract of Cucumis sativus Linn. fruit in ulcerative colitis in laboratory animals [DOI]
  29. 29 Pharmacological evaluation of ameliorative effect of aqueous extract of Cucumis sativus L. fruit formulation on wound healing in Wistar rats [DOI]
  30. 30 Evaluation of Antibacterial Activities of Citrus limon, Citrus reticulata, and Citrus grandis Against Pathogenic Bacteria [DOI]
  31. 31 Study of Hypoglycemic, Hypocholesterolemic and Antioxidant Activities of Iranian Mentha Spicata Leaves Aqueous Extract in Diabetic Rats.
  32. 32 HERBAL MEDICINES USED IN THE TRADITIONAL INDIAN MEDICINAL SYSTEM AS A THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT OPTION FOR OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY MANAGEMENT: A REVIEW
  33. 33 Bioactive Compounds from Lemon (Citrus limon) Extract Overcome TNF-α-Induced Insulin Resistance in Cultured Adipocytes [DOI]
  34. 34 Antioxidant, hypolipidemic, and anti-angiotensin-1-converting enzyme properties of lemon (Citrus limon) and lime (Citrus aurantifolia) juices [DOI]
  35. 35 Extraction of Polyphenol, Flavonoid from Emblica officinalis, Citrus limon, Cucumis sativus and Evaluation of their Antioxidant Activity [DOI]
  36. 36 Pharmacological Action of Mentha piperita on Lipid Profile in Fructose-Fed Rats.
  37. 37 Investigation of the effects of peppermint (Mentha piperita) on the biochemical and anthropometric profile of university students [DOI]
  38. 38 Clinical Chemistry & Metabolic Medicine
  39. 39 Lemon Juice Elevated Level of Reduced Glutathione and Improved Lipid Profile in Wistar Rats
  40. 40 Cucumis sativus (cucumber): a review on its pharmacological activity
  41. 41 Lipid Profiles and Health Promoting Uses of Carrot (Daucus carota L.) and Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) [DOI]
  42. 42 Evaluation of antacid and carminative properties of Cucumis sativus under simulated conditions
  43. 43 Evaluation of antidiabetic and hypolipidemic effect of Cucumis sativus fruit in streptozotocin-induced-diabetic rats.
  44. 44 PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF CUCUMIS SATIVUS L. - A COMPLETE OVERVIEW
  45. 45 Evaluation of Antihyperlipidaemic Activities of Hydromethanolic Extracts of Dioscorea bulbifera [DOI]
  46. 46 Effects of Four Week Consumption of Lemon (Citrus limon L.) Essential Oil with Swimming Training on Lipid Profile and Lipid Peroxidation in Adult Male Mice
  47. 47 China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica [DOI]
  48. 48 Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Research [DOI]
  49. 49 Potential of Traditional Medicinal Plants for Treating Obesity: A Review [DOI]
  50. 50 [Study on effect and mechanism of scutellaria baicalensis stem-leaf total flavonoid in regulating lipid metabolism].
  51. 51 Mentha: A review on its bioactive compounds and potential health benefits [DOI]
  52. 52 Chemical Compounds and Pharmacological Activities of Cucumis genus [DOI]
  53. 53 Inhibition of Serum Lipase as a Mechanism of Action for Anti-Obesity Potentials of Dioscorea bulbifera Extracts on Wistar Rats [DOI]
  54. 54 Effects of Citrus limon leaf extract on blood glucose and lipid profile in alloxan monohydrate-induced diabetic rats [DOI]
  55. 55 Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal [DOI]
  56. 56 Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Development [DOI]
  57. 57 International Journal Of Ayurvedic And Herbal Medicine [DOI]
  58. 58 International Journal of Enteric Pathogens [DOI]

Cited by 1

Evaluation of the Nutritional Profile and Obesogenic Potential of a Formulated High-Fat Diet

E. Reuben, B. Chinko, N. Batubo · American Journal of Food Science and Technology · 2025

Related research

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

39

Page views

0

PDF downloads

8

Outbound clicks

1

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.