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Objective: To investigate the effect of coffee consumption on some liver function indices in adult male and female Nigerians. Subjects and Methods: Thirty apparently healthy subjects, consisting of 18 men and 12 women, were made to consume 2 g of coffee daily for a total of 30 days. Activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and plasma concentrations of total and conjugated bilirubin, total protein and albumin were determined using standard methods. Results: Relative to baseline values, coffee consumption raised mean levels of ALT by 4 IU/l (p < 0.001), AST by 2.0 1 U/l (p < 0.001), ALP by 3.0 1 U/l (p < 0.01), total bilirubin by 0.90 mg/dl (p < 0.05) and total protein by 1.1 g/l (p < 0.05). Gender differences were observed. Significantly higher mean ALP concentration was only seen in male subjects, while mean bilirubin concentration was significantly raised in female volunteers alone. On the other hand, the mean total protein and albumin concentrations in individual male and female groups were not significantly altered (p > 0.05 in each case). Conclusion: The result obtained from the study suggests that short-term consumption of coffee might have a significant effect on the integrity of the liver function tests studied.

The effect of soy-based products on lipid profile has not been well established. Whereas some investigators have reported that soy is hypocholesterolemic, others could only demonstrate this in hypercholesterolemic subjects, while a few have not found any marked association between soy and cholesterol levels. This study was therefore aimed at investigating the effect of soymilk on lipid and lipoprotein profile of normocholesterolemic, apparently healthy Nigerian Africans. Five hundred milliliters of soymilk preparation was consumed daily by 42 apparently healthy young to middle-aged subjects for a period of 21 days. Forty-two other volunteers with similar characteristics, who did not drink the soymilk over this time frame, were randomly selected as controls. Plasma total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) concentrations were determined twice by standard spectrophotometric methods (at the initial visit and after 3 weeks). Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) was calculated from the TC, TG, and HDL-C concentrations. After 21 days, regulated soymilk consumption significantly reduced mean plasma TC by 11% and LDL-C by 25% (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively) and increased mean plasma HDL-C by 20% (P < .05) in the test population. Plasma TG was not significantly altered. In control subjects, no significant differences were observed in mean TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG. Daily consumption of soymilk significantly decreased atherogenic plasma cholesterol concentration. This suggests that soy drink could be an important non-pharmacological cholesterol-reducing agent.

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Ability of the damaged pancreas to generate new β-cells when activated with external stimuli has been documented. This study assessed the potentials of aqueous extract of bambusa vulgaris leaf to reactivate damaged β-cells in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Eighteen healthy male Wistar rats (12 weeks old; weight= between 150 and 200g) were used for this study. The rats were randomly divided into three groups (six per group); group A (un-induced); group B (untreated alloxan-induced diabetics); group C (alloxan-induced diabetics treated with 200mg/kg body weight of freshly prepared extract of bambusa vulgaris leaf). Fasting blood sugar (FBS) and plasma insulin levels were determined in all animals using glucometer and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay methods respectively. Sections of pancreas tissues were prepared for histology. IDDM was confirmed in groups B and C (FBS increased significantly=p<0.05) after 2 days of alloxan administration). The FBS remained significantly (p>0.05) higher in group B, compared to group A, but reduced significantly (p<0.05) in group C after 7 days of treatment with bambusa vulgaris leaf extract. On the 7th day, plasma insulin level decreased significantly (p<0.05) in group B, but no significant difference observed in group C compared with group A.Histology reports showed damaged pancreas in group B, while Group C showed normal islet cells after 7 days of oral administration of bambusa vulgaris extract. In conclusion, aqueous extract of Bambusa vulgaris could restore the activities of alloxan-damaged pancreas. The extract could be a reliable alternative to synthetic pharmaceuticals in the treatment IDDM.