New Study Shows That Ginseng Along With Gut Microbiota Produces Myristoleic Acid That Can Reduce Obesity
Globally, overweight and obesity issues have become a severe public health problem which can lead to an array of diseases such as
diabetes, cardiovascular problems and kidney diseases among many other health issues. Current anti-obesity strategies are mainly aimed at restricting calorie intake and absorption including dietary restrictions.
Now, Chinese scientists suggest in a new study that burning energy by activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) might be an alternative strategy for combating obesity.
The medical researchers found that an extract from ginseng, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herb, can induce Enterococcus faecalis,a type of gut microbiota to in turn produce an unsaturated long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) called myristoleic acid (MA).
Professor Dr Jin Wanzhu, lead author of the study and a scientist at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of sciences told
Thailand Medical News via a phone interview,"As a novel anti-obesity probiotic, E. faecalis and MA can reduce adiposity via BAT activation and beige fat formation."
Past studies have shown that BAT facilitates weight control and generates a potent anti-obesity effect. Therefore, increasing BAT activity could be a novel and effective therapeutic approach for obesity and its related diseases, according to Dr Jin.
This is the first proof that the E. faecalis LCFA (specifically MA) axis can reduce obesity by increasing BAT activity and beige fat formation.
"This study demonstrates the important role of MA in reducing obesity and improving related metabolic syndrome, as well as its tremendous application prospects," said Dr Jin.
The Chinese researchers have already patented the formulation as a probiotic and the product is expected to be commercialized for international distribution by mid 2020.
Reference: Lin-Hu Quan et al, Myristoleic acid produced by enterococci reduces obesity through brown adipose tissue activation, Gut (2019). DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2019-319114
