Scientists at Western University have made an exciting discovery involving sweet oranges and tangerines.
It turns out a molecule found in these fruits, called nobiletin, might be a key player in the battle against obesity and the prevention of diabetes and heart disease.
Imagine two groups of mice. Both are fed a diet high in fat and cholesterol – not exactly a healthy menu. But one group gets something extra: nobiletin. The results were remarkable. The mice that received nobiletin were noticeably leaner.
They had lower levels of insulin resistance, which is a precursor to diabetes, and their blood fats were reduced. In contrast, the mice without nobiletin just got fatter and showed signs of health problems.
But that’s not all. The researchers went a step further. They took mice that were already obese, with all the negative health effects that come with it, and gave them nobiletin.
The turn-around was impressive. Not only did the symptoms of obesity start to reverse, but even the plaque build-up in their arteries – a condition known as atherosclerosis – began to regress.
The team believes nobiletin works by affecting how the body handles fat. There’s a regulator in the body known as AMP Kinase. It’s like a control switch that helps burn fats for energy and stops the body from making more fat.
Initially, the scientists thought nobiletin might be targeting this regulator. However, they found out that nobiletin wasn’t working through AMP Kinase at all. It was bypassing this major fat-control pathway.
This finding is particularly intriguing. It means that nobiletin won’t mess with other drugs that act on the AMP Kinase system. This is important because many medications, especially for conditions like diabetes, work through this pathway.
The next big step is to see if nobiletin works the same magic in humans as it does in mice. If it does, it could open up new, more natural ways to tackle obesity and related diseases.
This groundbreaking research, led by Murray Huff and published in the Journal of Lipid Research, shines a light on the potential of nobiletin.
It’s a promising discovery, showing that sometimes, solutions to our biggest health challenges can be found in nature, in something as simple as the fruit we eat.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies about the keto diet for weight loss: Pros and cons, and how to drink water to lose weight.
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