Previous results demonstrate that experimental diabetes mellitus is accompanied by increased oxidant stress within glomeruli. Evidence are emerging that dietary flaxseed supplementation can have beneficial effects on oxidative stress.
Materials and methods: Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ) in male Golden Syrian hamsters, and both diabetic and control groups were fed either standard diet, or standard diet supplemented with flaxseed (15 g/100 g diet), for 20 weeks. At the end of the study, blood samples and renal homogenates were used for determination of oxidative stress markers.
Results: STZ-induced diabetes in hamsters substantially increased malondialdehyde levels along with corresponding decrease in the antioxidants levels. Supplementation of flaxseed resulted in the decrease in serum and renal homogenate malondialdehyde levels. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, total glutathione (tGSH) and superoxiddismutase (SOD) were also concomitantly raised to near normal levels by flaxseed supplementation diabetic hamsters.
Conclusion: Dietary flaxseed supplementation in diabetes mellitus may have beneficial effects on diabetic nephropathy evolution by reducing the levels of oxidative stress and increasing the antioxidant defense systems.