EFFECT OF 75% IRVINGIA GABONENSIS FLOUR ON ANTHROPOMETRIC PARAMETERS IN RATS RENDERED OBESE BY CRUDE PALM OIL

Obesity is currently one of the major global public health issues. It is characterized by an excessive accumulation of body fat resulting from a prolonged imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Irvingia gabonensis is a non-timber forest product widely utilized in West and Central Africa for both food and medicinal purposes. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation with 75% Irvingia gabonensis flour on obesity induced by a diet enriched with 15% red palm oil in Wistar rats. Fifteen (15) rats were randomly assigned to three homogeneous experimental groups of five animals each. Two diets were formulated for the experiment: a standard diet, used to feed the control group; and an obesity-inducing diet, created by supplementing the standard diet with 15% crude palm oil. A second group (the obese control group) received this latter diet. Finally, a third group received a diet consisting of 25% of the obesity-inducing diet and 75% Irvingia gabonensis flour; this constituted the treated group. Body weight in the rats of Groups 1 and 2 increased significantly during the obesity induction phase (week 3) compared to the control group. However, the body weight of the rats in Group 2 (LIg75%) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) starting from the fourth week following the introduction of the 75% Irvingia gabonensis flour into the diet. Food intake among rats in Group 2 (LIg75%) during the treatment weeks did not differ significantly from that of the control group and Group 1. The quantity of feces produced by rats in Group 2 was higher than that of Group 1. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) for Group 2 (LIg75%) gradually normalized over the course of the treatment weeks. Protein efficiency (PE) followed the same trend, showing a gradual recovery in Group 2 during weeks 4 and 5. In conclusion, the diet consisting of 75% Irvingia gabonensis flour and 25% high-fat diet (15% crude palm oil added to the standard diet) exerts significant biological and metabolic effects