Source: food.ndtv.com
Modern lifestyle has altered our diet to a great extent. Unhealthy and untimely eating habits are almost the norm now, which are causing many lifestyle-related diseases; obesity being one of them. Obesity cannot be managed overnight. It requires a great amount of dietary reform and adaptation of a physically active routine to bring some difference. The present day anti-obesity strategies largely focus on limiting calorie intake and absorption, and replace such foods with healthier foods with low calorific value. Many people are also opting for more natural and herbal ways to manage the condition. For those, the findings of this particular study might be helpful. A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences claim to have discovered a herb that may be beneficial in combating obesity.
Ginseng is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb that may be used as an alternative strategy for managing excessive weight and obesity. The scientists revealed that ginseng extract may activate the brown adipose tissue (BAT), which in turn may burn energy. The ginseng extract can induce enterococcus faecalis, which can produce myristoleic acid (MA), an unsaturated long-chain fatty acid (LCFA). The results of the study were published in the journal ‘Gut’.
Some studies in the past discovered that brown adipose tissue (BAT) aids in weight loss by countering the effects of obesity. By propelling the functioning of BAT, obesity could be targeted effectively and this could prove to be a viable therapeutic strategy for managing obesity and related diseases.
JIN Wanzhu, lead author of study said, “As a novel anti-obesity probiotic, enterococcus faecalis and myristoleic acid can reduce adiposity via BAT activation and beige fat formation.”
This study is the first one to find out that enterococcus faecalis LCFA (specifically myristoleic acid) axis can bring down the symptoms of obesity by increasing BAT activity and limit fat formation and calorie absorption.
“The study demonstrates the important role of myristoleic acid in reducing obesity and improving related metabolic syndrome as well as its tremendous application prospects,” concluded JIN Wanzhu.