Obesity has been and continues to be a major global concern with serious health consequences.
iNSiGHT. Image Credit: Scintica Instrumentation Inc.
According to the World Health Organization, there were 1.9 billion overweight adults in 2016, with 650 million of them obese. Around 340 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 were classified as overweight or obese in 2016. Approximately 39 million children under the age of five were classified as overweight or obese in 2020.
These figures continue to climb, with over 13 % of the global population (19 and older) being obese, 39 % of adults (19 and older) overweight, and one in every five children/adolescents (18 and younger) classified as overweight or obese.1
Being overweight or obese can result in major health problems like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Exercise, food, and supplements are just a few approaches to prevent obesity.
Kim, J. et al. are the first to report that Allium Macrostemon (AME) extract from the entire plant has anti-obesity properties in a mouse model of a high-fat diet (HFD).
The study employed C57BL/6N mice, which were divided into three groups and fed a control diet (CD), HFD, or HFD with AME therapy at 200 mg/kg body weight (BW) daily for nine weeks.
The scientists employed the iNSiGHT dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanner to compare lean and fat mass before and after AME treatment.2
AME decreased body weight increase, fat accumulation, and adipocyte size. AME also inhibited adipogenesis and lipogenesis in adipose tissues. AME supplementation also lowered inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) levels in adipose tissue.
Natural phenolic acids in AME, such as ellagic acid, protocatechuic acid, and catechin, have been linked to anti-obesity properties. Based on these findings, AME has the potential to be a functional food for preventing and treating obesity.
The iNSiGHT DXA pictures were taken one week before the animals were slaughtered (Figure 1C). AME supplementation lowered overall body weight as early as week 1 of treatment and remained statistically significant from week 1 to week 9.
AME also decreased epididymal adipose tissue weight, fat mass, and lean mass, as evaluated by the iNSiGHT DXA (Figure 1). The iNSiGHT DXA analysis program is automated, allowing the authors to measure total lean and fat mass in real-time and regional variances by sketching particular regions of interest.2
Figure 1. AME extract supplementation results on an HFD-induced mouse model. (A) Body weight changes measured via the iNSiGHT DXA from week 0 to 9. (B) Epididymal adipose tissue weight. (C) Representative images captured on the iNSiGHT DXA. Upper images are the X-ray attenuated image, while the bottom images are the lean mass (green) versus fat mass (red) regions identified in the mice. (D) The automated calculated lean and fat mass via the iNSiGHT DXA comparing the CD, HFD, and HFD+AME2. Image Credit: Scintica Instrumentation Inc.
This study found that AME had anti-obesity activities in an HFD-fed mice model. AME dramatically reduced body weight growth, adipose tissue hypertrophy, inflammation, and ER stress.2
The iNSiGHT DXA is a quick and efficient tool that provides rapid, automated, and precise measurements of lean and fat mass in under 25 seconds. Along with the data acquired, the iNSiGHT DXA produces a lean versus fat mass map image, allowing the researchers to pan across and investigate specific tissue locations.
References
- World Health Organization (2024). Obesity and overweight. [online] World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight.
- Kim, J., Lee, J.-Y. and Kim, C.Y. (2023). Allium macrostemon whole extract ameliorates obesity-induced inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress in adipose tissue of high-fat diet-fed C57BL/6N mice. Food & nutrition research, [online] 67, p.10.29219/fnr.v67.9256. https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v67.9256.
About Scintica Instrumentation Inc.
Scintica Instrumentation Inc., a high value distributor of scientific medical equipment, was created as a joint venture between two companies, Indus Instruments and ONS Projects Inc., both with long standing experience in the medical device instrumentation field. Indus Instruments is an engineering and manufacturing company with excellence in designing and producing sophisticated products for both medical and other high-tech clients in aerospace, chemical and oil and gas industries. ONS Projects Inc. is a life science investment and marketing company built on the foundation of two other successful manufacturing companies in the laboratory instrumentation field,
The principals of the two companies each have more than 25 years of experience of manufacturing, selling and supporting scientists in their research around the world. Our team consists of scientists, applications experts, engineers and sales professionals from a cross section of backgrounds, who excel at simplifying transactions and ensuring that scientists have the best equipment for achieving research excellence.
At Scintica Instrumentation, we distribute for selected manufacturers from all over the world and represent them in multiple countries including the United States, Canada, and Europe, as well as in Asia through a network of authorized sub-distributors.
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