Virgin coconut oil dietary consumption ameliorates abnormal haemostatic parameters in diabetic rats

Introduction: Virgin coconut oil (VCO), a saturated fat,
has been reported to have anti-diabetic properties and there
is dearth of information on its potency to correct abnormal
haemostatic parameters associated with diabetic patients.
Objectives: Therefore, this study was carried out to
investigate effect of VCO consumption on abnormal
haemostatic parameters in diabetic rats.
Materials & Methods: A total of fifteen (15) male rats
weighing 200–250g were divided into three (3) experimental
groups: Normal control group (Group I) and Diabetic control
group (Group II), both fed on normal rat chow for 4 weeks,
and the Diabetic test group (Group III) , fed on 10% VCO diet
for 4 weeks. The Group II and Group III rats were injected
alloxan (150mg/kg) intraperitoneally to induce diabetes. After
72 hours of injection, the blood glucose was determined to
confirm hyperglycemia. At the end of the experiment,
fibrinogen concentration, prothrombin, bleeding and clotting
times were determined in the animals.
Results: The results showed a significant increase in
the fibrinogen concentration and prothrombin time of Group
II compared to Group I and Group III. However, there was
significant decrease in bleeding time of Group II when
compared to that of Group I and Group III while the clotting
time of Group II was significantly decrease compared to Group
I.
Conclusion: Thus, VCO normalizes abnormal
haemostatic conditions in diabetics.