Tropical Trio Tested: Red Dragon Fruit Juice Leads in Glucose-Lowering for High-Fat Diet-Induced Hyperglycemia
Ibnu Zaki, Widya Ayu Kurnia Putri, Afina Rachma Sulistyaning

Nutrition Science Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Purwokerto, Indonesia

Abstract

Metabolic disorders, such as hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus, represent a global health concern necessitating effective management strategies, including dietary interventions. This study utilized a High-Fat Diet (HFD) model in Sprague Dawley rats to simulate glucose dysregulation, aiming to evaluate and compare the effects of administering mango (Mangifera indica var. gedong gincu), sweet orange (Citrus sinensis), and red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) juices on blood glucose levels in HFD-induced hyperglycemic rats. Employing a True Experimental design with a randomized controlled pre-posttest approach, 30 rats were randomly divided into five groups: standard diet control (P1), HFD control (P2), HFD + mango juice (P3), HFD + sweet orange juice (P4), and HFD + red dragon fruit juice (P5). Results indicated that HFD induction successfully elevated blood glucose levels in the P2 group, while the administration of all three fruit juices significantly reduced blood glucose in the intervention groups (P3: -33.23%, P4: -41.99%, P5: -44.44%). Red dragon fruit juice demonstrated the most potent glucose-lowering effect, followed by sweet orange juice and mango juice. In conclusion, these findings suggest the potential of these natural fruit juices as valuable dietary interventions for managing HFD-induced glucose dysregulation.

Keywords: Blood glucose, High-fat diet, Hyperglycemia, Red dragon fruit, Tropical fruit juice

Topic: Nutrition Science and Functional Food Development