Citrus extracts show weight management potential for men: Human data

Twelve weeks of daily supplementation with the commercial Sinetrol XPur product by French supplier Fytexia were found to reduce abdominal fat by 9.7%, compared with 4.8% in the placebo group, according to findings published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition​.​

Scientists from Fytexia, RDVC Produits Santé (Le Havre), and the University of Montpellier also report that the Sinetrol XPur supplementation group experienced significant decreases in waist and hip sizes of 7.4 cm and 5.6 cm, respectively, compared with decrease of 2.1 cm and 2.0 cm in the placebo group.

“The results show a genuine benefit of the product in managing overweight and obesity-linked metabolic disturbances, which could deter and prevent the development of [metabolic syndrome] in individuals at risk,”​ wrote the authors, led by Dr Julien Cases, Fytexia’s director of research and innovation.

Inspired by the Mediterranean diet​

Fytexia’s Sinetrol XPur ingredient is said to be inspired by the Med diet and is composed of extracts from a number of citrus fruit, including grapefruit (Citrus paradisi​ Macfad.), sweet orange (Citrus sinensis​ L. Osbeck), and blood orange (Citrus sinensis​ L. Osbeck). The ingredient also contains guarana (Paullinia cupana​ Kunth). The main polyphenols in the product are flavanones.

The ingredient has previously been studied in 95 men and women, with overall reductions in fat of 9.73% vs 3.1% in the placebo group (Phytotherapy Research​​, 2014 Vol. 28, pp. 212–218).

The new study focused only on men because men and women don’t have the same metabolism, particularly when it comes to fat storage in adipose tissues, said Dr Cases. From a marketing standpoint, they also are two very different groups of consumers with different goals, with more emphasis on muscle mass maintenance or development for men than women.

Dr Cases and his co-workers included 25 men (aged between 30 and 45, and a BMI between 26–29.9 kg/m2) in their study, all of whom were instructed to follow the same normo-caloric diet (between 2200 and 2500 kcal per day) and to exercise 30 minutes per week. The men were then randomly assigned to receive either 900 mg of Sinetrol XPur per day or placebo for 12 weeks.

The week 12 results indicated that the men in the citrus extract group had significantly reduced abdominal fat, waist size and hip size, compared with the placebo group. Significant decreases in overall body weight was also observed for the citrus extract group (-3.75%), compared with placebo (-1.76%).

The waist-to-hip ratio was also significantly lower in the Sinetrol Xpur group (reduced by 2.27%) compared with placebo (reduced by 0.20%).

“In the present study, Sinetrol XPur clearly appears to be a natural and safe option for overweight and obese populations,” ​wrote the researchers. “Indeed, supplementation with Sinetrol XPur was associated with a significantly important decrease of abdominal fat (-9.74%), a profound reduction in waist circumference (-7.50%, corresponding to more than 7.40 cm), and an evident preservation of the [skeletal muscle mass] during weight loss. ​

“Nevertheless, further investigations of the mechanisms of action of Citrus polyphenols in relation to their respective bioavailabilities need to be conducted in order to gain a better understanding of their beneficial effects on the modulation of body composition.”​

The study was funded by Fytexia.

Growth​

Romain Thévenot, Sales Manager at Fytexia Corp., told NutraIngredients-USA that sales of Sinetrol in the US have more than doubled between 2012 and 2014. "Thanks to this massive increase, the States now account for 30% of our global business,"​ he said. "More than 20 commercial products currently use Sinetrol, including some of the best-selling weight loss supplement brands in the country. This presence definitely keeps growing, as Sinetrol is being considered for several major innovation projects. This success was also recently boosted by our achievement of an NPN registration in Canada, in which the NHPD approved a weight management claim.​

"This progress makes us very optimistic about further growth. Through Sinetrol's success in the US, our ambition is to strengthen its position as the leading natural fat burning ingredient worldwide."​

Source: International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition​​
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.3109/09637486.2015.1042847
“A 12-week randomized double-blind parallel pilot trial of Sinetrol XPur on body weight, abdominal fat, waist circumference, and muscle metabolism in overweight men”​
Authors: J. Cases, C. Romain, C. Dallas, A. Gerbi, J.M. Rouanet