Comparative effects of doenjang prepared from soybean and brown rice on the body weight and lipid metabolism in high fat-fed mice

The comparative effects of doenjang prepared from fermented soybean or brown rice on the body weight and lipid metabolism in C57BL/6N mice fed with high fat diet were investigated. The animals were randomly divided and given experimental diets for eight weeks: normal control diet, high fat diet, and high fat diet supplemented with soybean doenjang, brown rice doenjang, brown rice-rice bran doenjang, or brown rice-red ginseng marc doenjang. At the end of the experimental period, the HF group exhibited a marked increase in body weight, body fat, plasma triglyceride concentration, and atherogenic index relative to the normal control diet group. However, diet supplementation of doenjang counteracted this high fat-induced hyperlipidemia through modulation of lipogenesis and adipokine production. In general, compared with soybean doenjang, the brown rice-rice bran doenjang and brown rice-red ginseng marc doenjang were similarly effective in improving the lipid metabolism under high fat diet condition. These findings demonstrate that brown rice, in combination with rice bran or red ginseng marc, may be useful as a functional biomaterial for the preparation of doenjang with strong anti-obesity effect and hypolipidemic action.