Eleazu CO and Eleazu KC
The ameliorating potentials of cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta L.), ginger (Z.officinale Roscoe) and unripe plantain (Musa paradisiacae L.) incorporated feeds on the relative pancreatic weights of streptozotocin induced diabetic rats was investigated. The blood glucose level of all the rats was measured with a glucometer, the assay of the phytochemical and crude fibre compositions of the test feeds were carried out using standard techniques. The administration of the test feeds for 21 days to the diabetic rats of groups 5 to 7, resulted in 58.75%, 29.81% and 38.13% decreases in their hyperglycemia. Administration of the cocoyam incorporated feeds to the diabetic rats of group 5, resulted in 2.71% and 19.52% increases in their body weights and growth rates respectively, administration of the ginger incorporated feeds to the diabetic rats of group 6, resulted in 9.88% and 60.24% increases in their body weights and growth rates, unlike the diabetic rats of group 7, administered unripe plantain feed that had 5.12% decrease in weight with a corresponding 29.52% decrease in growth rate but higher than the diabetic control rats that recorded 28.69, 28.62% and 29.46% decreases in body weights with corresponding 248.9%, 239.9% and 250.14% decreases in growth rates. Chemical analysis of the test feeds indicate that they contained considerable amounts of phytochemicals and crude fibre. Results indicate the ability of cocoyam, ginger and unripe plantain to ameliorate the relative pancreatic weight of diabetics.