Phospholipid shows anti-obesity potential, in mice at least

12-Oct-2010 - Last updated on 13-Oct-2010 at 16:02 GMT

Supplementation of the diet with the phospholipid phosphatidylinositol may exert an anti-obesity effect by modifying gene expression in the liver, suggests a new study with mice.

If the findings, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, can be repeated in further studies, it could see phosphatidylinositol established as an ingredient with potential weight management potential.

With the World Health Organization estimating that by 2015, there will be more than 1.5 billion overweight consumers, incurring health costs beyond $117 billion per year in the US alone, the opportunities for a scientifically-substantiated weight management food product are impressive.

Using Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation’s phosphatidylinositol, the researchers fed obese mice the ingredient every four days. According to the results, phosphatidylinositol suppressed the weight gain in these animals, and also reduced blood levels of cholesterol.

When the Japanese researchers looked at gene expression in the livers of the mice, they noted that certain genes involved in lipid synthesis and metabolism had been regulated by phosphatidylinositol ingestion.

“Although most of the phosphatidylinositol was degraded during absorption, some of it was not and accumulated in the liver. Furthermore, we showed that the potent anti-obesity effect of phosphatidylinositol on diet-induced obesity was due to phosphatidylinositol-mediated regulation of the expression of certain genes involved in lipid synthesis and metabolismin the liver,” wrote researchers, led by Naoto Oku from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Shizuoka.

“Thus, daily intake of soybean-derived phosphatidylinositol or supplemental intake of an adequate amount of phosphatidylinositol would be expected to improve diet-induced obesity,” they added.

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Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Published online ahead of print, Articles ASAP, doi: 10.1021/jf102075j
“Anti-obesity Effect of Phosphatidylinositol on Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice”
Authors: K. Shimizu, T. Ida, H. Tsutsui, T. Asai, K. Otsubo, N. Oku