A compound in blueberries may help burn fataccording to a study.
Researchers inside Japan have discovered that a substance in the fruit, pterostilbene, a polyphenol, can cause muscles to lose fat.
In a laboratory test, researchers exposed the substance to mouse muscle cells.
They found that it caused the cells to start breaking down ectopic fat, a type of fat that is more common in people who are obese or severely obese and which increases the risk of conditions such as type two. diabetes and high blood pressure.
Researchers said this happened because the substance triggered a pathway in the cells that caused them to break down more fats.
“Our findings provide a scientific framework for the development of functional foods and nutritional supplements that target muscle fat metabolism,” said Dr. Takakazu Mitani, lead author of the study.
‘Beyond the potential of pterostilbene itself, however, this work provides an experimental framework for identifying other natural compounds [for weight loss].’
Most fat in the body is stored as subcutaneous fat or under the skin. But people can also accumulate ectopic fat, which literally means fat ‘in an abnormal place’.
A substance in blueberries may prevent the accumulation of fat in muscle cells, a study suggests
These deposits can accumulate in the liver, heart, pancreas and muscles, increasing the risk of multiple complications.
Doctors say those who are obese, severely obese or have a larger waist are at greater risk, but warn that fat can also build up in people with flat stomachs. Ectopic fat can only be detected using a detailed body scan.
To reduce these deposits, doctors normally recommend exercise. But scientists are now investigating whether a drug can also help.
In the study, published in the journal Food biosciencesResearchers from Shinshu University examined the potential of pterostilbene and four other compounds to remove ectopic fat in muscle cells, or fat stored in the cells.
The other compounds were stilbene, resveratrol, 3-methoxy-resveratrol and 4′-methoxy-resveratrol. Resveratrol is found in grapes, cranberries and others.
In the laboratory, researchers exposed muscle cells from mice with ectopic fat deposits to all five compounds for seven days.
They found that pterostilbene caused them to lose the most fat.
The team said they found that the compound stopped the breakdown of a protein called peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta, which is essential for the breakdown of fat.
By doing this, it caused more proteins to build up in the cells, breaking down more fat deposits.
The scientists said much more research is needed, including in other animals and humans, to confirm their findings.
But the study has a similar result to other previous studies in animals, which showed that pterostilbene could reduce body weight and fat deposits in the liver.
Because the study was conducted in laboratory cells, it was not clear what the total dose was for oral consumption of pterostilbene. But it’s probably high.
In a 2014 study in which rats lost weight after being given the drug, the rodents were given 15 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. That amounts to more than 25,000 blueberries per kilogram, or roughly two million blueberries per day for the average adult.
