Sacha inchi oil in a type 2 diabetes rat model: summary of a 2023 study
This page summarises an animal study published in 2023 in Preventive Nutrition and Food Science. It is written for formulators and buyers who want to know what the research on sacha inchi oil looked at. It describes a study in rats: it is not a health claim for sacha inchi oil or for any Amazon Andes product.
The study at a glance
- Reference
- Rojanaverawong W., Wongmanee N., Hanchang W. (2023). Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) Oil Improves Hepatic Insulin Sensitivity and Glucose Metabolism through Insulin Signaling Pathway in a Rat Model of Type 2 Diabetes. Preventive Nutrition and Food Science 28(1): 30–42. doi:10.3746/pnf.2023.28.1.30
- Type of study
- Animal study in Wistar rats (no human participants).
- Model
- Type 2 diabetes induced in the rats with a high-fat diet and streptozotocin.
- Groups
- Six groups of six rats: normal control, diabetic control, sacha inchi oil at 0.5, 1 and 2 mL per kg of body weight, and pioglitazone (30 mg/kg) as the reference drug.
- Duration
- Five weeks of oral treatment.
What the researchers measured
- Blood glucose and insulin-resistance indices.
- Liver enzymes and liver tissue (histology).
- Markers of oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines in the liver.
- Proteins of the insulin signalling pathway (IRS-1 and Akt) and of glucose production in the liver (PEPCK-1 and G6Pase), and liver glycogen.
What the authors reported
In the diabetic rats, sacha inchi oil attenuated hyperglycaemia and the insulin-resistance indices and improved the liver tissue alterations, in a dose-dependent manner. It lowered liver enzymes, markers of oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the liver; increased IRS-1 and phosphorylated Akt; reduced PEPCK-1 and G6Pase; and increased liver glycogen.
The authors conclude that the oil “exerts a potential hepatic insulin-sensitizing effect and an improvement in glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetic rats”, partly through insulin signalling, antioxidant defence and reduced inflammation, and they suggest clinical studies to investigate it.
What this study does not show
- It was carried out in rats with experimentally induced diabetes. Results in animals cannot be applied directly to people.
- It did not test sacha inchi oil in humans, so it does not show that the oil prevents, treats or helps to manage diabetes.
- It does not compare sacha inchi oil with other dietary oils rich in omega-3.
Why it is relevant for product developers
Sacha inchi oil is one of the richest plant sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, omega-3), at about 48% of its fatty acids. Studies like this one show the scientific interest in the oil, but they are early-stage research, not a basis for health claims on finished products.
Looking for the oil itself? See the specification of our cold-pressed sacha inchi oil.
Before you use this in a product
Any claim on a finished product must follow the rules of the market where it is sold. In the European Union, only health claims authorised under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 may be used on foods, and food information must not attribute to a food the property of preventing, treating or curing a human disease (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Article 7). In the United States, foods and dietary supplements may not claim to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent a disease, except for health claims authorised by the FDA.
This page summarises published research for information purposes. It is not a health claim about sacha inchi or about Amazon Andes products, which are foods and food ingredients and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Read the original article: Preventive Nutrition and Food Science (2023).