Comparison of the effects of raw and cooked adzuki bean on glucose/lipid metabolism and liver function in diabetic mice

Background and objectives Diabetes is a serious metabolic disease. The present study investigated the ability of diets supplemented with raw and cooked adzuki bean to mitigate the effects of diabetes and related metabolic disorders in type 2 diabetic mice induced by a high‐fat diet combined with streptozotocin (STZ). Findings Compared with untreated diabetic mice, raw adzuki bean (RAB) supplementation significantly reduced food intake, glycated serum protein (GSP), and fasting blood glucose (FBG) and improved glucose tolerance. Cooked adzuki bean (CAB) supplementation cannot effectively improve FBG, but significantly reduce weight loss and GSP. In addition, adzuki bean supplementation significantly reduced low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) and total cholesterol (TC) levels. Histological observations confirmed the ability of adzuki bean supplementation to prevent pancreatic and liver damage. The content of total flavonoids and catechins in adzuki bean decreased significantly after processing. Conclusions Although RAB and CAB supplementation showed many beneficial impacts on type 2 diabetic mice, the lower efficacy of CAB is likely caused by a loss of bioactive substances from processing. Significance and novelty These findings may contribute to a better understanding of the benefits of adzuki bean as a dietary supplement to prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and related metabolic disorders.