Dietary intervention with Stevia residue extracts alleviates impaired glucose regulation in mice

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Stevia residue extracts (SREs, i.e., SRE-1 and SRE-2) on impaired glucose regulation (IGR). ICR mice were fed with a high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFFD) to induce IGR. Glucose metabolism, serum lipid profiles, serum antioxidant status, and hepatic histopathological analysis by oil red O were analyzed. The bioactive compounds of SREs were identified by LC/MS/MS. Chemical analysis of SREs revealed the extracts to be good sources of chlorogenic acids and flavonoids. SRE-1 significantly lowered blood glucose levels and improved glucose intolerance in HFFD-induced IGR mice. Serum lipid profiles, antioxidant status, and liver fat accumulation were also improved by SRE-1, especially at 200 mg/kg. The results suggest that SRE-1-enriched diet could ameliorate prediabetic associated metabolic disturbances by regulating glucose and lipid pathways. Moreover, SRE-1 exerts its beneficial effect against IGR probably due to the presence of chlorogenic acids and flavonoids.