Brassica rapa L. prevents Western diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6 mice through its binding capacity of cholesterol and fat.

Obesity, a chronic disorder caused by excessive energy intake leading to fat accumulation in adipose tissue, increases the risk of severe diseases. Brassica rapa L. is known as a traditional vegetable in the Nagano area of Japan. C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to three groups, with different diets as follows: a normal diet, a Western diet (WD), and a WD plus B. rapa L. powder (BP) in a 56-day experiment. Brassica rapa L. supplementation reduced the body weight gain and lipid accumulation of mice significantly. The BP group also had higher fecal bile acid, total cholesterol, and triglyceride excretion levels compared with those in the other groups. The antiobesity effects of B. rapa L. were due to its binding with cholesterol and fat, and possibly enhancing the bile acid excretion and modulating gut microbiota, suggesting that B. rapa L. could be a functional vegetable with potential uses in targeting obesity.

Effects of cactus fiber on the excretion of dietary fat in healthy subjects: a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical investigation.

BACKGROUND: Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) fiber was shown to promote weight loss in a 3-month clinical investigation. As demonstrated by in vitro studies, cactus fiber binds to dietary fat and its use results in reduced absorption, which in turn leads to reduced energy absorption and ultimately the reduction of body weight. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to elucidate the dietary fat binding capacity of cactus fiber through determination of fecal fat excretion in healthy volunteers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This clinical investigation was performed as a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study in healthy subjects for a period of approximately 45 days. Twenty healthy volunteer subjects were randomized to receive cactus fiber or placebo, 2 tablets thrice daily with main meals. All subjects were provided with meals during the study period (except washout) according to a standardized meal plan, with 35% of daily energy need coming from fat. Two 24-hour feces samples were collected during both the baseline and treatment periods for analysis of the fat content. RESULTS: Cactus fiber showed an increased fecal fat excretion compared with placebo (mean [SD] = 15.79% [5.79%] vs 4.56% [3.09%]; P < 0.001). No adverse events were reported throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Cactus fiber has been shown to significantly promote fecal fat excretion in healthy adults. The results of our study support the hypothesis that cactus fiber helps in reducing body weight by binding to dietary fat and increasing its excretion, thus reducing dietary fat available for absorption. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01590667.

Effect of Potato Dietary Fiber on the Quality, Microstructure, and Thermal Stability of Chicken Patty.

A total of 150 chicken patties containing different concentrations of potato dietary fiber (PDF) (0.0−4.0%) (30 for every treatment) with three replicates were used to access the influence of PDF on their quality, microstructure, and thermal stability. PDF improved the quality of chicken patty, including significantly inhibiting dimensional change and improving water- and fat-binding properties and textural properties (p < 0.05). Moreover, PDF promoted a more homogeneous and dense meat−protein network structure to be formed. The results of thermal stability showed that PDF did not affect the thermal denaturation of proteins (p > 0.05). The samples with PDF (<3.0%) did not have a significant negative effect on sensory properties of chicken patty; meanwhile, there were more abundant nutrients and a lower energy value in samples with PDF compared with the control. Therefore, PDF could be a promising ingredient to improve the properties of chicken patties, which was related to the amount of PDF added and performed best at 3.0% level.

A single oral dose of a polyglucosamine influences the bioavailability of [9-(14)C]-Oleic acid in adult female Göttingen minipigs.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980 and is a leading risk for global deaths, profoundly affecting morbidity, mortality, health-care costs, and professional and personal quality of life. Treatment of obesity and its consequences include lifestyle intervention, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery. Polyglucosamines have been proposed as an alternative strategy for treating obesity, by reducing the amount of absorbed fat through interaction with dietary fat through various mechanisms. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of polyglucosamine on the bioavailability of the model compound [9-(14)C]-oleic acid in female Göttingen minipigs. METHOD: The study consisted of two treatment groups, each consisting of six adult female Göttingen minipigs with a catheterized vena jugularis to enable frequent blood sampling. One group served as the untreated group (control) and the other group was pre-treated with 2 tablets of 500 mg formoline L112. After 30 min, all animals were dosed orally with [9-(14)C]-oleic acid. Excreta and blood samples were collected for analysis of radioactivity from 48 h pre-dose up to 144 h post-dosing. At sacrifice, the liver and contents of the gastrointestinal tract were collected for radioanalysis. RESULTS: Upon treatment with polyglucosamine (formoline L112), the Tmax of [(14)C]-oleic acid in plasma was shifted from 4 to 16 h, and the Cmax decreased significantly from 14.1 µg/g to 3.3 µg/g. In addition, upon treatment with polyglucosamine the internal exposure to [(14)C]-oleic acid as reflected by the area under the curve during the 0-12 h post-dose time interval (AUC0-12h), is significantly decreased to 32.9 % of the plasma value of [(14)C]-oleic acid in untreated animals. Even up to 24 h post-dose, the AUC0-24h is significantly decreased to 50.7 % of the plasma value in untreated animals and this significant effect is prolonged up to 60 h post-dose. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that treatment with polyglucosamine (formoline L112) reduces (as judged by Cmax & AUC) and delays (as judged by Tmax) fat absorption from the gastrointestinal tract into the systemic circulation and limits peak exposure to free fatty acids which may contribute to a more beneficial condition in overweight humans.