Effect of Sechium edule var. nigrum spinosum (Chayote) on Oxidative Stress and Pro-Inflammatory Markers in Older Adults with Metabolic Syndrome: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a risk factor for cognitive deterioration and frailty in older adults. In this regard it has been shown that oxidative stress (OxS) and chronic inflammation are involved in the pathophysiology of these alterations. Harmless antioxidant and anti-inflammatory therapeutic alternatives have been proposed, such as the consumption of Sechium edule (chayote), but the evidence is inconclusive. For this reason, an exploratory study of a single group chosen by convenience sampling, including 12 older adults, with an average age of 71 ± 6 years (10 women and 2 men) with a diagnosis of MetS according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP/ATP III) criteria. This exploratory study aimed to determine the effect of the consumption of the dried fruit powder supplement of Sechium edule var. nigrum spinosum (500 mg, 3 times per day) for six weeks on the markers of OxS in elderly adults with MetS. All participants’ OxS markers were measured before and after treatment. There was a statistically significant decrease in the concentration of lipoperoxides (baseline, 0.289 ± 0.04 vs. post-treatment, 0.234 ± 0.06 μmol/L, p < 0.05), together with a significant increase in total antioxidant status (baseline, 0.97 ± 0.18 vs. post-treatment, 1.2 ± 0.12 mmol/L, p < 0.05). In this sense, the oxidative stress index showed a statistically significant decrease (baseline, 1.7 ± 0.78 vs. post-treatment, 0.75 ± 0.87, p < 0.05). A statistically significant decrease in the concentration of TNF-α after treatment was also found (baseline, 5.3 ± 1.4 vs. post-treatment, 3.5 ± 1.3, p < 0.05).Our findings suggest that the consumption of the dry fruit of Sechium edule has an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect in older adults with metabolic syndrome.

Effect of Sechium edule var. nigrum spinosum (Chayote) on Telomerase Levels and Antioxidant Capacity in Older Adults with Metabolic Syndrome

“…These results are consistent with those obtained in the present study, where such renal parameters also showed a decrease after supplementation in patients with MetS. In consequence, results suggest that the active compounds in Sechium edule, like flavonoids, can improve kidney function [10].…”

“…We report a significant reduction of HbA1c in the EG post-treatment, which can be explained by the hypoglycemic effect of the fruit extract [44]. This is in contrast to what was reported in an exploratory study [10]; this suggests that the supplementation period needs to be longer to reduce HbA1c.…”

“…One of the main components of the MetS is obesity, an entity whose treatment is complicated; however, there is evidence in obese animal models in which supplementation with Sechium edule for three months caused a reduction in body weight [20] that coincides with our findings, since we observed a weight reduction with a decrease in BMI after three months of supplementation. Nevertheless, regarding the effectivity of Sechium edule on patients with MetS, a six-week exploratory study did not show modifications of BMI [10]. This suggests that the supplementation period must be longer to significantly affect the weight and BMI.…”

“…In this regard, Sechium edule (chayote) is an edible plant of the family Cucurbitaceae with attributed nutritional, biofunctional, phytochemical, and pharmacological properties, which include hypotensive, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, and lipogenesis inhibition properties. Even though those properties have been documented, there is only one exploratory study where the effectiveness of this plant has been evaluated in patients with MetS [10].…”

Phytochemical Analysis and Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Capacity of the Extracts of Fruits of the Sechium Hybrid

“…Recently, it has been shown that the extract of the edible Sechium edule var. nigrum spinosum inhibits tumor cell line proliferation without damaging normal cells [ 5 ] and has antioxidant properties [ 13 ] that involve several phenolic compounds, including naringenin [ 5 ], a recognized antioxidant agent [ 14 ]. On the other hand, the Mexican Interdisciplinary Research Group on Sechium edule (GISeM in Spanish) developed a Sechium hybrid that was generated from the Sechium edule varietal group wild type II chayote, resulting in the Sechium H387 07 hybrid.…”