The effect of chamomile extract on blood sugar level, lipid profile and body weight in high-fat diet fed rats

Abstract

The addition of herbs to the diet is one of the methods for the treatment of obesity. It is aimed to examine the extracts of chamomile to use in the treatment of obesity, against high-fat diet. In this study, 6-8 weeks old fifteen female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Five of the rats separated randomly for the control group and fed with a standard pellet for ten weeks. Ten rats were fed with a high-fat diet for four weeks. After this period, the rats were randomly divided into two groups (high-fat control and chamomile). Blood samples were taken for lipid profiles and glucose. With the high-fat diet, body weights and total cholesterol had increased significantly (p<0.05). Chamomile had a 39.2% decrease in body weight and a 38.8% decrease in blood glucose (p<0.05). There was no difference between groups in other lipid parameters. Chamomile may be used in the treatment of obesity.