Pomegranate oil-seaweed combo's weight management action pinpointed?
Building on results from a 2010 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, new results indicate that the pomegranate oil-seaweed blend may offer weight management and liver benefits by preventing the build-up of fat tissue, and suppressing the transformation of immature fat cells into mature fat cells.
Researchers from Kaohsiung Marine University (Taiwan), PLThomas (USA), PoliNat Inc. (Spain), and Rutgers University (USA) report their findings in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
"These results indicate that Xanthigen may suppress fatty tissue build-up through multiple mechanisms and may have further explained applications for this dietary supplement in improving liver functions and managing obesity," said Vladimir Badmaev, MD, PhD, director of scientific and medical affairs for PL Thomas and Polinat and co-author of the new study.
The new study adds to findings published last year in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, which found that may produce weight loss of about five kilograms, as well as improvements in liver health. The study involved 151 obese, non-diabetic volunteers.
The ingredient is described as a patent-pending composition standardized to fucoxanthin (from brown seaweed) and punicic acid (from pomegranate seed oil).
New data
The new in vitro study investigated the effects of the ingredient on the differentiation of preadipocytes (immature fat cells) into adipocytes (mature fat cells).
Results showed that the pomegranate oil-seaweed combination inhibited the buildup of fat in the fat cells in a dose-dependent manner, which meant that as the dose increased the inhibition increased.
Proteins linked to the buildup of fat tissue (a process called adipogenesis) were also down-regulated following exposure to Xanthigen, said the researchers, as well as influencing genes like sirtuin1 (Sirt1), which is also activated during calorie restriction in various species, including humans.
"One of the interesting aspects of the reported mechanism is activation of the Sirt1 gene expression in the mature fat cells,” added Badmaev.
“Obesity, overweight status and aging tend to decrease Sirt-1 gene expression in the body and fat cells, whereas slimming and improving body composition upregulates Sirt-1 gene expression almost in a manner that restores the body's youthful weight and body composition.”
Market potential
With the World Health Organization estimating that by 2015, there will be more than 1.5 billion overweight consumers, the opportunities for a scientifically-substantiated weight management product are impressive.
The slimming ingredients market can be divided into five groups based on the mechanisms of action – boosting fat burning/ thermogenesis, inhibiting protein breakdown, suppressing appetite/boosting satiety (feeling of fullness), blocking fat absorption, and regulating mood (linked to food consumption).
The market for food, beverage and supplement weight management products is already valued at $3.64bn (2009 figures) in the US, according to Euromonitor. In Western Europe, the market was worth $1.3bn in 2009.
Source: Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry
Published online ahead of print, Articles ASAP (As Soon As Publishable), doi: 10.1021/jf204862d
”Xanthigen Suppresses Preadipocyte Differentiation and Adipogenesis through Down-regulation of PPARγ and C/EBPs and Modulation of SIRT-1, AMPK, and FoxO Pathways”
Authors: C-S; Lai, M-L. Tsai, V. Badmaev, M. Jimenez, C-T. Ho, M-H. Pan
