Risks Associated with the Use of Garcinia as a Nutritional Complement to Lose Weight

Nowadays, obesity is one of the great nutritional problems facing public health. The prevalence of this pathology has increased in a worrying way over recent years, currently reaching epidemic proportions. In this context, nutritional supplements are presented as a therapeutic alternative to which more and more people are turning to. Nutritional supplements to lose weight based on the Garcinia plant, specifically on Garcinia cambogia, are commonly used. The active principle of this plant to which these properties have been attributed, is hydroxycitric acid (HCA). The aim of the present review is to gather reported data concerning the effectiveness of nutritional supplements based on Garcinia extracts on weight loss and their possible negative effects. Contradictory results have been observed regarding the effectiveness of the supplements. While statistically significant weight loss was observed in some studies, no changes were found in others. Regarding safety, although Garcinia supplements have been revealed as safe in the vast majority of the studies carried out in animal models and humans, some cases of hepatotoxicity, serotonin toxicity and mania have been reported. In conclusion, the results suggest that Garcinia-based supplements could be effective in short-term weight loss, although the data are not conclusive. In addition, the safety of the complement should be further studied.This study was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERobn) under Grant CB12/03/30007 and University of the Basque Country under Grant GIU18-173

Lack of Additive Effects of Resveratrol and Energy Restriction in the Treatment of Hepatic Steatosis in Rats

The aims of the present study were to analyze the effect of resveratrol on liver steatosis in obese rats, to compare the effects induced by resveratrol and energy restriction and to research potential additive effects. Rats were initially fed a high-fat high-sucrose diet for six weeks and then allocated in four experimental groups fed a standard diet: a control group, a resveratrol-treated group, an energy restricted group and a group submitted to energy restriction and treated with resveratrol. We measured liver triacylglycerols, transaminases, FAS, MTP, CPT1a, CS, COX, SDH and ATP synthase activities, FATP2/FATP5, DGAT2, PPAR alpha, SIRT1, UCP2 protein expressions, ACC and AMPK phosphorylation and PGC1 alpha deacetylation. Resveratrol reduced triacylglycerols compared with the controls, although this reduction was lower than that induced by energy restriction. The mechanisms of action were different. Both decreased protein expression of fatty acid transporters, thus suggesting reduced fatty acid uptake from blood stream and liver triacylglycerol delivery, but only energy restriction reduced the assembly. These results show that resveratrol is useful for liver steatosis treatment within a balanced diet, although its effectiveness is lower than that of energy restriction. However, resveratrol is unable to increase the reduction in triacylglycerol content induced by energy restriction.The aims of the present study were to analyze the effect of resveratrol on liver steatosis in obese rats, to compare the effects induced by resveratrol and energy restriction and to research potential additive effects. Rats were initially fed a high-fat high-sucrose diet for six weeks and then allocated in four experimental groups fed a standard diet: a control group, a resveratrol-treated group, an energy restricted group and a group submitted to energy restriction and treated with resveratrol. We measured liver triacylglycerols, transaminases, FAS, MTP, CPT1a, CS, COX, SDH and ATP synthase activities, FATP2/FATP5, DGAT2, PPAR alpha, SIRT1, UCP2 protein expressions, ACC and AMPK phosphorylation and PGC1 alpha deacetylation. Resveratrol reduced triacylglycerols compared with the controls, although this reduction was lower than that induced by energy restriction. The mechanisms of action were different. Both decreased protein expression of fatty acid transporters, thus suggesting reduced fatty acid uptake from blood stream and liver triacylglycerol delivery, but only energy restriction reduced the assembly. These results show that resveratrol is useful for liver steatosis treatment within a balanced diet, although its effectiveness is lower than that of energy restriction. However, resveratrol is unable to increase the reduction in triacylglycerol content induced by energy restriction

Anti-Obesity Effects of Isorhamnetin and Isorhamnetin Conjugates

Isorhamnetin is a plant-derived secondary metabolite which belongs to the family of flavonoids. This review summarises the main outcomes described in the literature to date, regarding the effects of isorhamnetin on obesity from in vitro and in vivo studies. The studies carried out in pre-adipocytes show that isorhamnetin is able to reduce adipogenesis at 10 μM or higher doses and that these effects are mediated by Pparγ and by Wnt signalling pathway. Very few studies addressed in rodents are available so far. It seems that treatment periods longer than two weeks are needed by isorhamnetin and its glycosides to be effective as anti-obesity agents. Nevertheless, improvements in glycaemic control can be observed even in short treatments. Regarding the underlying mechanisms of action, although some contradictory results have been found, reductions in de novo lipogenesis and fatty acid uptake could be proposed. Further research is needed to increase the scientific evidence referring to this topic; studies in animal models are essential, as well as randomised clinical trials to determine whether the positive results observed in animals could also be found in humans, in order to determine if isorhamnetin and its glycosides can represent a real tool against obesity.This study was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERobn) under Grant CB12/03/30007 and the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PID2020-118300RB-C21 and PID2020-118300RB-C22 co-funded by FEDER)

Association of lifestyle factors and inflammation with sarcopenic obesity: data from the PREDIMED‐Plus trial

Background: Sarcopenia is a progressive age-related skeletal muscle disorder associated with increased likelihood of adverse outcomes. Muscle wasting is often accompanied by an increase in body fat, leading to ‘sarcopenic obesity’. The aim of the present study was to analyse the association of lifestyle variables such as diet, dietary components, physical activity (PA), body composition, and inflammatory markers, with the risk of sarcopenic obesity. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis based on baseline data from the PREDIMED-Plus study was performed. A total of 1535 participants (48% women) with overweight/obesity (body mass index: 32.5 ± 3.3 kg/m2; age: 65.2 ± 4.9 years old) and metabolic syndrome were categorized according to sex-specific tertiles (T) of the sarcopenic index (SI) as assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanning. Anthropometrical measurements, biochemical markers, dietary intake, and PA information were collected. Linear regression analyses were carried out to evaluate the association between variables. Results: Subjects in the first SI tertile were older, less physically active, showed higher frequency of abdominal obesity and diabetes, and consumed higher saturated fat and less vitamin C than subjects from the other two tertiles (all P < 0.05). Multiple adjusted linear regression models evidenced significant positive associations across tertiles of SI with adherence to the Mediterranean dietary score (P-trend < 0.05), PA (P-trend < 0.0001), and the 30 s chair stand test (P-trend < 0.0001), whereas significant negative associations were found with an inadequate vitamin C consumption (P-trend < 0.05), visceral fat and leucocyte count (all P-trend < 0.0001), and some white cell subtypes (neutrophils and monocytes), neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio, and platelet count (all P-trend < 0.05). When models were additionally adjusted by potential mediators (inflammatory markers, diabetes, and waist circumference), no relevant changes were observed, only dietary variables lost significance

Cómo conseguir publicar en The New England Journal of Medicine y no morir en el intento: la experiencia PREDIMED

El 25 de Febrero de 2013 fue publicado on-line un artículo en The New England Journal of Medicine que posiblemente modificará en gran medida las recomendaciones nutricionales que se venían dando en los últimos años en todo el mundo para la prevención primaria de la Enfermedad Cardiovascular. Se trata de los resultados finales del estudio PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea), donde se constata por primera vez que la dieta mediterránea enriquecida con frutos secos o aceite de oliva virgen extra es capaz de conseguir una reducción relativa del 30% (hazard ratio = 0,70; intervalo de confianza al 95%: 0,53 a 0,94) en el riesgo de sufrir un evento cardiovascular combinado que incluye infarto de miocardio o accidente vascular cerebral o muerte por causa cardiovascular

Morbid liver manifestations are intrinsically bound to metabolic syndrome and nutrient intake based on a machine-learning cluster analysis

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of the most important medical problems around the world. Identification of patient ' s singular characteristic could help to reduce the clinical impact and facilitate individualized management. This study aimed to categorize MetS patients using phenotypical and clinical variables habitually collected during health check-ups of individuals considered to have high cardiovascular risk. The selected markers to categorize MetS participants included anthropometric variables as well as clinical data, biochemical parameters and prescribed pharmacological treatment. An exploratory factor analysis was carried out with a subsequent hierarchical cluster analysis using the z-scores from factor analysis. The first step identified three different factors. The first was determined by hypercholesterolemia and associated treatments, the second factor exhibited glycemic disorders and accompanying treatments and the third factor was characterized by hepatic enzymes. Subsequently four clusters of patients were identified, where cluster 1 was characterized by glucose disorders and treatments, cluster 2 presented mild MetS, cluster 3 presented exacerbated levels of hepatic enzymes and cluster 4 highlighted cholesterol and its associated treatments Interestingly, the liver status related cluster was characterized by higher protein consumption and cluster 4 with low polyunsaturated fatty acid intake. This research emphasized the potential clinical relevance of hepatic impairments in addition to MetS traditional characterization for precision and personalized management of MetS patients

Influence of different dietary fats on triacylglycerol deposition in rat adipose tissue

It has been demonstrated that triacylglycerol (TAG) mobilization from adipose tissue is selective and depends on fatty acid (FA) chain length, unsaturation and positional isomerism. The present study was performed to determine the influence of dietary fat on the composition of TAG stored in rat perirenal and subcutaneous adipose tissues. These results may provide information on the susceptibility of stored TAG to hydrolysis and further mobilization, and may help to establish an interrelationship between dietary composition and the FA efflux from adipose tissue. TAG molecular species and FA composition were determined by HPLC and GLC respectively. No significant differences were found in either FA or TAG composition between perirenal and subcutaneous adipose depots. The major FA in the dietary fats were present in the adipose tissues of the animals; in most cases, in similar proportions. However, differences were found between dietary and adipose tissue content of minor FA, which suggests that dietary FA composition is altered between ingestion and deposition in adipose tissue. The TAG molecular species of rat adipose tissue were enriched with the FA characteristic of each dietary fat. Dietary sunflower oil was responsible for enrichment with the most polar TAG. This finding may suggest easier mobilization of stored TAG. In conclusion, the process of fatty acid and TAG deposition in rat adipose tissue is selective, and depends on the composition of the diet.This work was supported by grants (OLI96-2126 and ALI99-0863) from the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT) and the Government of the País Vasco (PI 96/22) and by a fellowship from this Government.Peer Reviewe

The importance of dietary fat composition on adipose tissue metabolism

[ES] El mantenimiento del peso corporal requiere que se produzca un balance neutro entre la energía ingerida a través de la dieta y la energía consumida por el organismo y además un balance neutro de nutrientes. Las dietas ricas en grasa favorecen el acúmulo adiposo debido no sólo a la hiperfagia calórica que inducen, sino también a la escasa capacidad del organismo para adaptar la oxidación de los lípidos a su ingesta, a diferencia de lo que ocurre con los hidratos de carbono. Otro factor que puede influir en la adiposidad es la composición en ácidos grasos de la dieta. Estos condicionan el perfil lipídico de los fosfolípidos de membrana de los adipocitos y de los triglicéridos almacenados, modificando así el proceso de movilización lipídica. Por otra parte, algunos ácidos grasos modifican la actividad de la lipoproteína-lipasa y de los enzimas lipogénicos. Además, mientras que unos ácidos grasos son destinados preferentemente a la oxidación, otros son orientados al almacenamiento y otros son utilizados con fines estructurales. Finalmente, algunos ácidos grasos estimulan la termogénesis inducida por la dieta, generando así un incremento del gasto energético.[EN] Neutral energy and macronutrient balances are needed for the maintenance of a stable body weight. High-fat diets promote fat accumulation. This fact is not only due to the induction of a caloric hyperphagia, but also to the failure to adjust fat oxidation in response to an excess of fat intake. This situation does not occur with carbohydrates. In addition, the fatty acid composition of dietary fat can also be an important factor determining the resulting level of body weight and body energy stores. The modifications induced in adipocyte membrane fatty acid composition and in stored triglycerides lead to changes in the efficiency of the lipid mobilization. On the other hand, the activity of lipoprotein-lipase and lipogenic enzymes can be modulated by some fatty acids. The fate of the different fatty acids is not the same. Some of them are preferentially oxidized, others are stored and others play a structural role. Finally, diet-induced thermogenesis is increased by certain fatty acids and that contributes to an increased energy expenditure.Este trabajo es fruto de la revisión bibliográfica realizada para llevar a cabo el proyecto de investigación PI 96/22, financiado por el Gobierno Vasco.Peer reviewe

Effects of conjugated linoleic acid on body fat accumalation and serum lipids in hamster fed an atherogenic diet

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) refers to a mixture of naturally occurring positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid that exist in dairy products and meat. The aim of the present work was to study the effects of c-9,t-11 and t-10,c-12 CLA isomers on body fat accumulation and serum lipids in hamsters fed an atherogenic diet. Hamsters were divided in four groups: one group was fed a chow diet (control) and the other three groups were given semi-purified atherogenic diets with 0.5% linoleic acid (LA), c-9,t-11 or t-10,c-12 CLA. Body weight and food intake were measured daily. After 6 weeks, adipose tissues from different anatomical locations and liver were dissected and weighed. Serum glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-c, LDL-c and triacylglycerol levels, as well as total and free cholesterol, triacylglycerol and phospholipid content in liver were determined by enzymatic methods. No differences in either energy intake or final body weight were found. The addition of t-10,c-12 CLA reduced fat accumulation and led to lower serum cholesterol, as compared with LA group. Nevertheless the level remained higher than in the control animals. The reduction in serum cholesterol was limited to LDL-c. This isomer also reduced triacylglycerol content in liver but did not modify serum triacylglycerol level. In summary, the present study demonstrates that t-10,c-12 CLA is the biologically active agent when anti-obesity and hypocholesterolaemic properties of CLA are considered. In contrast, the isomer c-9,t-11 has no effect on lipid metabolism in hamsters.El término ácido linoleico conjugado (ALC) se utiliza para designar una serie de isómeros del ácido linoleico, presentes en los lácteos y la carne, que presentan los dobles enlaces en posición conjugada. El objetivo del presente trabajo consistió en estudiar el efecto de los isómeros c-9,t-11 y t-10,c-12 del ALC sobre la acumulación de grasa corporal y los lípidos séricos, en hámsters alimentados con una dieta aterogénica. Los hámsters se distribuyeron en cuatro grupos: un grupo recibió pienso de laboratorio (control) y los otros tres grupos, dietas aterogénicas con 0,5% de ácido linoleico, ALC c-9,t-11 ó ALC t-10,c-12. Se midió diariamente la ingesta de alimento y el peso corporal. Tras 6 semanas, se diseccionaron y pesaron los tejidos adiposos de diferentes localizaciones anatómicas y el hígado. Se midieron las concentraciones séricas de glucosa, colesterol total, c-HDL, c-LDL y triglicéridos, y el contenido hepático de colesterol total y libre, triglicéridos y fosfolípidos, por métodos enzimáticos. No se encontraron diferencias significativas ni en la ingesta de energía ni en el peso corporal final. El isómero t-10,c-12 redujo la acumulación de grasa y disminuyó el colesterol total sérico; no obstante, su nivel se mantuvo por encima del de los animales control. La reducción del colesterol sérico se produjo a expensas del c-LDL. Este isómero también disminuyó el contenido hepático de triglicéridos pero no modificó los triglicéridos séricos. El presente estudio demuestra que el isómero t-10,c-12 del ALC es el fisiológicamente activo como agente anti-obesidad e hipocolesterolemiante. Por el contrario, el isómero c-9,t-11 no afectó al metabolismo lipídico en hámster

Effects of the whole seed and a protein isolate of faba bean (Vicia faba) on the cholesterol metabolism of hypercholesterolaemic rats

The aim of the present work was to analyse the hypocholesterolaemic efficiency of a Vicia faba-protein isolate in relation to the intact legume. In addition, the mechanisms underlying the effects of this isolate were investigated. Hypercholesterolaemic rats were divided into three groups (n 10×3) and fed high-fat diets rich in cholesterol-containing casein, whole seeds of Vicia faba or the protein isolate of faba beans as protein source, for 2 weeks ad libitum. The protein isolate was prepared by isoelectric precipitation and spray dried. Analyses of serum, liver and faeces, as well as of the activity of hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase, were assessed by enzymatic methods. The rats fed on Vicia faba diets showed significantly lower body weights and energy intakes than rats fed on casein diets. The whole-seed diet induced a significant reduction in plasma triacylglycerol. Feeding rats on diets containing faba bean seeds, or the protein isolate, induced a significant decrease in plasma (LDL+VLDL)-cholesterol but not in HDL-cholesterol. Hepatic cholesterol and triacylglycerol were also reduced. The hypocholesterolaemic effects of Vicia faba were not the result of a reduction in cholesterol synthesis as assessed from HMG-CoA reductase activity, but the result of an increase in steroid faecal excretion. The faba bean-protein isolate obtained under our experimental conditions was useful in improving the metabolic alterations induced by feeding with a hypercholesterolaemic diet compared with casein. The effectiveness of the whole seeds was higher than that of the protein isolate.Supported by a grant from the Government of the País Vasco (Cooperation Euskadi-Navarra-Aquitania Programme) and a grant from the University of the País Vasco (UPV 101.l23-EA140/94