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Lee Swanson Research Update
Grapefruit Extract Shows Positive Results for Metabolic Syndrome
October 2009
The citrus flavonoid naringenin may prevent cholesterol increases and changes in insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism linked to metabolic syndrome.
Animals fed a high-fat diet and supplemented with the flavonoid did not gain weight, while other signs of metabolic syndrome were also prevented, according to a study published in the journal Diabetes.
Metabolic syndrome is a condition characterized by central obesity, hypertension and disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism. The syndrome has been linked to increased risks of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
"The marked obesity that develops in [mice fed a high-fat diet] was completely prevented by naringenin," said lead researcher Murray Huff from the University of Western Ontario.
"What was unique about the study was that the effects were independent of caloric intake, meaning the mice ate exactly the same amount of food and the same amount of fat. There was no suppression of appetite or decreased food intake, which are often the basis of strategies to reduce weight gain and its metabolic consequences," he added.
The Ontario-based researchers divided mice into four groups: one group was fed on normal chow (control group), while the other three groups were fed a high-fat, or Western, diet (42% calories from fat) for four weeks. Two of the high-fat groups were also supplemented with either one or three percent naringenin.
The animals fed only the high-fat diet became insulin and glucose intolerant and obese. However, supplementation with the flavonoid reversed the increases in triglyceride and cholesterol levels, prevented the development of insulin resistance and completely normalized glucose metabolism, said the researchers.
Commenting on the mechanism, Huff and his co-workers note that naringenin was associated with an activation of PPAR-gamma co-activator 1 alpha, (PGC1-alpha)/PPAR-alpha-mediated transcription program in the liver, leading to a burning of excess fat, rather than storing it.
"Thus, naringenin, through its correction of many of the metabolic disturbances linked to insulin resistance, represents a promising therapeutic approach for metabolic syndrome," wrote the researchers, led by Huff from the University of Western Ontario.
If the study’s findings can be repeated in other studies, including human trials, it could see naringenin added to the list of compounds with potential to prevent metabolic syndrome.
Huff confirmed that research was ongoing in this area. "The next step is to find out if naringenin prevents heart disease in animal models and to explore the feasibility of clinical trials to determine its safety and efficacy in humans," he said.
Diabetes Published online ahead of print.
