marine drugs Article Herring Milt and Herring Milt Protein Hydrolysate Are Equally Effective in Improving Insulin Sensitivity and Pancreatic Beta-Cell Function in Diet-Induced Obese- and Insulin-Resistant Mice Yanwen Wang 1,2,* , Sandhya Nair 1,3 and Jacques Gagnon 3,4,* 1 Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Center, National Research Council of Canada, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada;
[email protected] 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada 3 VALORES¯ Research Institute, Shippagan, NB E8S 1J2, Canada 4 Department of Sciences, Shippagan Campus, University of Moncton, Shippagan, NB E8S 1P6, Canada * Correspondence:
[email protected] (Y.W.);
[email protected] (J.G.) Received: 24 October 2020; Accepted: 8 December 2020; Published: 11 December 2020 Abstract: Although genetic predisposition influences the onset and progression of insulin resistance and diabetes, dietary nutrients are critical. In general, protein is beneficial relative to carbohydrate and fat but dependent on protein source. Our recent study demonstrated that 70% replacement of dietary casein protein with the equivalent quantity of protein derived from herring milt protein hydrolysate (HMPH; herring milt with proteins being enzymatically hydrolyzed) significantly improved insulin resistance and glucose homeostasis in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. As production of protein hydrolysate increases the cost of the product, it is important to determine whether a simply dried and ground herring milt product possesses similar benefits. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate the effect of herring milt dry powder (HMDP) on glucose control and the associated metabolic phenotypes and further to compare its efficacy with HMPH.