A combination of grape extract, green tea extract and L-carnitine improves high-fat diet-induced obesity, hyperlipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice.

To develop a therapeutic agent for obesity-related metabolic disorders, a mixture of dietary components was prepared, including grape extract, green tea extract and l-carnitine (RGTC), and its effects on obesity, hyperlipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease examined. The RGTC dramatically inhibited the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced increase in body weight and fat in C57BL/6 mice, whereas food consumption was not affected by RGTC treatment. The RGTC also concentration-dependently suppressed the HFD-induced increase in plasma lipids, such as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. In addition, increases in liver weight and liver steatosis were returned to normal by RGTC treatment in HFD-fed C57BL/6 mice. The plasma levels of glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase were also significantly down-regulated by RGTC treatment. These results suggest that RGTC suppressed HFD-induced obesity, hyperlipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, suggesting that RGTC supplementation might be a promising adjuvant therapy for the treatment of these metabolic disorders.

Improvement of high-fat diet-induced obesity by a mixture of red grape extract, soy isoflavone and L-carnitine: implications in cardiovascular and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases.

In the present study, we examined the effect of a mixture of dietary components, including red grape extract, soy isoflavone and L-carnitine (RISC), on obesity. RISC substantially inhibited high-fat diet (HFD)-induced increase in body weight in a dose-dependent manner in C57BL/6 mice. The amount of subcutaneous and mesenteric fat was also significantly decreased by RISC treatment in HFD-fed C57BL/6 mice, whereas epididymal fat was not affected. Moreover, HFD-induced plasma leptin levels were down-regulated by RISC treatment. In these mice, RISC treatment significantly increased the plasma level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol without affecting the level of low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides. In addition, HFD-induced increase in liver weight and lipid accumulation in liver was significantly suppressed by RISC treatment in C57BL/6mice. Plasma level of glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase was also inhibited by RISC treatment. These results demonstrate that RISC suppresses HFD-induced obesity and suggest that RISC supplementation might be a promising adjuvant therapy for the treatment of obesity and its complications, such as cardiovascular and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases.