Natural Plant Powders for Obesity and its Complications: A Study on Watermelon Rind and Date Seed Supplementation in Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet

This study aimed to assess the potential therapeutic effects of watermelon rind powder (WRP) and date seed powder (DSP) on obesity-related complications in rats induced by a high-fat diet (HFD), exploring their roles as natural interventions for obesity management. Thirty-six rats were divided into a normal control group (G1, 6 rats) fed a basic diet (BD) and an obesity-induced group (G2, 30 rats) fed HFD for 8 weeks. G2 was then subdivided into five groups: G2 as model control (obese rats), G3 and G4 receiving BD + WRP at 5% and 10%, respectively, and G5 and G6 receiving BD + DSP at 5% and 10%, respectively. The HFD effectively induced obesity, as evidenced by increased body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and feed efficiency ratio (FER), alongside adverse alterations in organ weights, liver and kidney function, metabolic parameters, lipid profile, oxidative stress markers, and antioxidant status. WRP and DSP both significantly mitigated these effects in a dose-dependent manner, with WRP generally showing stronger effects. WRP treatment reduced BWG by up to 31.12%, decreased FI and FER, and significantly improved liver, kidney, and heart weights. It also lowered liver enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP), improved protein profile (TP, Alb, Glb, A/G ratio), decreased GGT, and reduced bilirubin levels (TB, DB, IDB). Similarly, WRP enhanced glucose-insulin regulation by lowering blood glucose by up to 56.05% and increasing insulin by over 1000%, while also raising leptin levels. Lipid profiles improved markedly with reduced total cholesterol (T.C), triglycerides (T.G), LDL, and VLDL, and increased HDL. Kidney markers such as uric acid, urea, and creatinine also declined significantly. Moreover, WRP restored antioxidant markers like GSH, GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD, indicating reduced oxidative stress. DSP also provided notable benefits across all parameters, although its impact was generally milder than WRP's, except for some oxidative stress markers at lower doses. Overall, both WRP and DSP exhibited protective effects against obesity-induced complications, with WRP showing greater potential as a functional dietary supplement for obesity management.