Quinoa intake reduces plasma and liver cholesterol, lessens obesity-associated inflammation, and helps to prevent hepatic steatosis in obese db/db mouse

•Quinoa intake lessened inflammatory markers in obese db/db mice.•Quinoa intake reduces pro-atherogenic blood lipids in obese db/db mice.•Quinoa intake prevents hepatic steatosis in obese db/db mice.•Quinoa intake does not reverse/prevent hyperinsulinemia in obese db/db mice.•Quinoa intake does not modulate anthropometric measurements in db/db mice. The purpose of this study was to investigate if quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), a good source of nutrients, fibre, and phytochemicals, can modulate risk disease biomarkers on obese-diabetic (db/db) mice. The db/db mice fed quinoa-supplemented (quinoa) or AIN-93G diet (obese) were compared to lean control fed AIN-93G diet. Quinoa intake reduced at significant level plasma total-cholesterol (total-c), LDL-c, and oxidized-LDL to levels similar to lean; lessened protein carbonyls and interleukin (IL)-6. The hepatic steatosis and total-c accumulation in liver were also similar between lean and quinoa and lower than obese. Quinoa fibre and phytochemicals may have contributed to these health benefits. However, quinoa intake increased plasma insulin and did not protect from other pathophysiological manifestations of the db/db research model. More studies are needed with other research models and quinoa doses achievable by human diet to validate the clinical relevance of this study.