Abstract
Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is a disorder that involves a series of symptoms associated to obesity and metabolic modifications, and increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The study of new possibilities of non-pharmacological strategies is fundamental for the primary prevention of MetSyn. Objective: The aim of this work was to evaluate the responses to the ingestion of flaxseed oil associated or not associated with physical exercise in hypertensive rats (SHR) with lipid changes induced by the administration of dexamethasone (Dexa) regarding the body weight, and glycaemic and lipid profiles, in comparison with the drug treatment with metformin. Methodology: After 24 days of experiment (details at the material and methods session), the 20-week-old animals were submitted to the glucose tolerance test (GTT) and lipid profile evaluation. Results: The results showed that the administration of Dexa in SHR animals promoted a framework of hyperglycaemia, dyslipidaemia and attenuated the insulin resistance common in the SHR, thus producing an experimental model with several components of the human MetSyn. The effects on weight gain indicated an important preventive action of flaxseed oil and exercise on the weight evolution of SHR-Dexa animals. Furthermore, the ingestion of flaxseed oil associated or not with exercise promoted
significant improvements on hyperglycaemia and glucose intolerance in these animals. Regarding the lipid profile, the treatments with flaxseed oil and exercise promoted reductions in triglyceride levels and HDL-c increase. Conclusion: However, the combination of these two non-pharmacological interventions was more effective than the isolated treatments.