Centenarian-inspired: Metabolite supplementation shows benefits for fatty liver disease and weight management

23-Jan-2020 - Last updated on 23-Jan-2020 at 05:06 GMT

Consuming plant-derived metabolites is able to bring a hosts of health benefit, such as reversing fatty liver disease, according to research from Japan. ©Getty Images

Consuming plant-derived metabolites is able to bring a hosts of health benefit, such as weight management and reversing fatty liver disease, according to the clinical trial director at Japanese firm Mi Innovation Labo.

Metabolites are cell-signalling molecules that are produced when the gut bacteria digests food.

Consuming the right metabolites benefits the body by boosting the gut microbiota which is linked to different body functions, said Dr Celine Klotz.

The firm’s research on the health benefits of metabolites begun when it studied gut microbiota of healthy Japanese centenarians, and found that having the right metabolites is key for good health.

Till date, the firm has seen metabolites’ benefits for boosting fertility, weight management, fatty liver disease, and acne problems, Dr Klotz told NutraIngredients-Asia in an interview.

For example, a four-week study involving 60 subjects also showed that consuming turmeric metabolites could help to burn 739.3Kcal each day.

Another study showed that consuming turmeric metabolites is able to reverse fatty liver symptoms.

“What we have observed is that a person with fatty liver disease has a different microbiota from healthy people. They produce lesser metabolites that are found in abundance in healthy people.”

The study showed that metabolites reverse fatty liver disease by increasing the Fiaf gene expression by 72.3%, in turn detoxifying the liver.

“The health of the microbiota is related to your whole metabolism. So if your microbiota is not balanced, it is going to affect your brain, your skin, your bones, muscles.

“By targeting the microbiota with metabolites consumption, you can provide the solutions for everything, for diabetes, weight management, eye health, so it is really a variety of use.”

As the aforementioned studies concern a patent application, they are not yet published in a scientific journal.

Getting the metabolites

Dr Klotz said that her firm only obtained metabolites from plant sources, such as soy bean, pomegranate, olive leaves, and turmeric, as they contain a specific microbiota that produces the desired metabolites.

The firm then use a fermentation technology to reproduce these beneficial metabolites.

The fermentation technology is developed in Japan, which she believes has the best knowledge in fermentation.

“The Japanese eat a lot of fermented food, like fermented soybean, vegetables, and fish as well, and so, they are really aware of the health benefits of eating fermented food.

“That's why the Japanese are really the best in fermentation technology.”