Millets as Nutraceuticals for Type 1 Diabetes Management: Comparative Efficacy of Fermented and Nonfermented Millets in a Diabetic Mouse Model

Abstract

Nevertheless, Millets like Panicum sumatrense also known as Little Millets (LM) and Setaria italica aka Foxtail Millets (FX) are validated to have nutraceutical benefit in metabolic illnesses, and their optimal nanofood formulation for the management of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is still not well comprehended. In a model of T1D mice developed by streptozotocin (STZ), we evaluated fermented (FR) and nonfermented (NFR) Millet nanofoods. Substantial GLUT-2 downregulation was seen in gene expression (LM-FR: ∼1.8 vs diabetic ∼3.5). In comparison to diabetic controls, lipid profiling exhibited enhanced cardiovascular indicators, with LM-FR lowering low density lipoprotein (LDL) (52.4 vs 92.5 mg/dL) and raising high density lipoprotein (HDL) (59.0 vs 22.9 mg/dL). Pancreatic islet protection was observed by histopathology. While NFR variations had better long-term results, FR variants suggested stronger acute metabolic control. These results demonstrate a robust, processing-dependent dietary intervention and validate Millet-based nanofoods as useful functional treatments for T1D management.