Effect of dietary inclusion of salt substitutes “Obu-Otoyo” on some biochemical indices in rat

“Obu-Otoyo” in folklore has been used as salt substitutes in diet of patients for the management of hypertension with no report on its toxicological effects. Hence, this study sought to investigate the effect of dietary inclusion of two types of the salt substitutes (Obu-Otoyo): salt A and salt B on some biochemical indices in rats. The mineral content of the salt substitutes was determined and the salt substitutes were fed to normal rats as dietary inclusion (0.1–1.0%). The dietary inclusion of the salt substitutes caused a significant (P < 0.05) increase in plasma activities of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), total bilirubin, and atherogenic lipids content (total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride) with a concomitant decrease in the HDL-cholesterol content when compared with the control. Furthermore, the mineral determination of the salt substitutes revealed the presence of some toxic metals. The alterations in plasma activities of liver function enzymes and lipid profile in rat fed dietary inclusions of “Obu-Otoyo” may be related to the high content of some toxic/heavy metals in the salt substitutes. Therefore, this finding indicates that Obu-Otoyo is toxic to rat.