Lean Switch

CLINICAL STUDIES ON THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS:

Spirulina Algae

Effects of Spirulina supplementation on obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Abstract

Objective: Evidence has suggested that Spirulina supplementation may affect anthropometric indices. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to summarize published randomized clinical trials which assess the effect of Spirulina supplementation on obesity.

Setting: Pertinent studies were identified using Embase, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, PubMed and Cochrane library databases up to May 2019. Mean Differences (MD) were pooled using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis and publication bias were reported using standard methods.

Results: Results of 5 studies (7 treatment arms) showed a significant reduction in weight (MD: -1.56 Kg, 95% CI: -1.98 to -1.14) after Spirulina supplementation. Subgroup analysis based on health status revealed that weight change in obese subjects (MD: -2.06 Kg, 95% CI: -2.45 to -1.68) was greater than overweight participants (MD: -1.28 Kg, 95% CI: -1.62 to -0.93) following Spirulina supplementation. Also, pooled analysis showed that Spirulina supplementation led to a significant reduction in body fat percent (MD: -1.02, 95% CI: -1.49 to -0.54) and waist circumference (MD: -1.40, 95% CI: -1.40 to -1.39), but not in body mass index and waist to hip ratio.

Conclusion: Spirulina supplementation significantly reduces body weight, especially in obese individuals.

Source: Sajjad Moradi, Rahele Ziaei, Sahar Foshati, Hamed Mohammadi, Seyed Mostafa Nachvak, and Mohammad Hossein Rouhani. “Effects of Spirulina supplementation on obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials” Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2019): 47:102211.

Ascophyllum nodosum Seaweed (10% fucoxanthin)

Seaweed Fucoxanthin Supplementation Improves Obesity Parameters in Mild Obese Japanese Subjects

Abstract

Background: Fucoxanthin is a seaweed xanthophyll that has demonstrated an anti-obesity effect in rodents. However, clinical investigations of its influence on mildly obese subjects has not been performed. We conducted a clinical trial of fucoxanthin supplementation in Japanese obese subjects.

Methods: We examined the effect of fucoxanthin (1 or 3 mg daily) in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Capsules containing fucoxanthin or placebo capsules were administered for 4 weeks to male and female Japanese adults with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 kg/m2. Before and after treatment, the body weight, body composition, abdominal fat area, and the circumferences of the neck, arm, and thigh were evaluated.

Results: There was significant reduction of the relative (ratio versus before treatment) body weight, BMI, and visceral fat area in the 3 mg/day fucoxanthin group compared to the placebo group. Relative values of total fat mass, subcutaneous fat area, waist circumference, and right thigh circumference were also significantly lower in the 1 mg/day fucoxanthin group than the placebo group. A significant decrease of the absolute right thigh circumference was noted in the 1 mg/day fucoxanthin group compared to the placebo group. In the subjects ingesting fucoxanthin, there were no abnormalities of the blood pressure, pulse rate, blood parameters, and urinalysis parameters, which thereby suggests adverse effects.

Conclusions: Fucoxanthin reduced body weight, BMI, and abdominal fat by acting on both visceral and subcutaneous fat. Consequently, Fucoxanthin may be able to improve a moderate overweight state in both men and women.

Source: Hitoe, S. & Shimoda, H. “Seaweed Fucoxanthin Supplementation Improves Obesity Parameters in Mild Obese Japanese Subjects.” Functional Foods in Health and Disease 7, 246–262 (2017).

Hibiscus Flower Extract

Beneficial Effects of Natural Bioactive Compounds from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. on Obesity

Abstract

Obesity is a condition associated with the accumulation of excess fat in the body, energy imbalance, lipogenesis, etc., which increases adipose tissue mass through adipogenesis and poses a health risk. Its prevalence has become an economic burden to the healthcare system and the world at large. One of the alternatives to tackling obesity involves the use of bioactive compounds.

We critically examined the effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa extract (HSE) on various parameters associated with the development of obesity such as; the effect of HSE on body weight, the effect of HSE on lipid accumulation, cholesterol metabolism and plasma parameters, the inhibitory effect of HSE on pancreatic lipase, and the effect of HSE on adipocyte differentiation/adipogenesis. This review has gathered reports on the various anti-obesity effects of H. sabdariffa bioactive compounds in cell and animal models, as well as in humans. Available toxicology information on the consumption of H. sabdariffa revealed that its toxicity is dose-dependent and may cause an adverse effect when administered over a long period of time.

Reports have shown that H. sabdariffa derived bioactive compounds are potent in the treatment of obesity with an evident reduction in body weight, inhibition of lipid accumulation and suppression of adipogenesis through the PPARγ pathway and other transcriptional factors.

Source: Ojulari OV, Lee SG, Nam JO. “Beneficial Effects of Natural Bioactive Compounds from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. on Obesity. Molecules.” (2019): Jan 8;24(1):210. doi: 10.3390/molecules24010210. PMID: 30626104; PMCID: PMC6337177.

African Mango (Irvingia gabonensis)

IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled investigation

Abstract

Background: A recent in vitro study indicates that IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the traditional West African food plant Irvingia gabonensis, favorably impacts adipogenesis through a variety of critical metabolic pathways including PPAR gamma, leptin, adiponectin, and glycerol-3 phosphate dehydrogenase. This study was therefore aimed at evaluating the effects of IGOB131, an extract of Irvingia gabonensis, on body weight and associated metabolic parameters in overweight human volunteers.

Methods: The study participants comprised of 102 healthy, overweight and/or obese volunteers (defined as BMI > 25 kg/m2) randomly divided into two groups. The groups received on a daily basis, either 150 mg of IGOB131 or matching placebo in a double blinded fashion, 30–60 minutes before lunch and dinner. At baseline, 4, 8 and 10 weeks of the study, subjects were evaluated for changes in anthropometrics and metabolic parameters to include fasting lipids, blood glucose, C-reactive protein, adiponectin, and leptin.

Results: Significant improvements in body weight, body fat, and waist circumference as well as plasma total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, blood glucose, C-reactive protein, adiponectin and leptin levels were observed in the IGOB131 group compared with the placebo group.

Conclusions: Irvingia gabonensis administered 150 mg twice daily before meals to overweight and/or obese human volunteers favorably impacts body weight and a variety of parameters characteristic of the metabolic syndrome. This is the first double blind randomized placebo controlled clinical trial regarding the anti-obesity and lipid profile modulating effects of an Irvingia gabonensis extract. The positive clinical results, together with our previously published mechanisms of gene expression modulation related to key metabolic pathways in lipid metabolism, provide impetus for much larger clinical studies. Irvingia gabonensis extract may prove to be a useful tool in dealing with the emerging global epidemics of obesity, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance, and their co-morbid conditions.

Source: Ngondi JL, Etoundi BC, Nyangono CB, Mbofung CM, Oben JE. “IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled investigation.” Lipids Health Dis. (2009): Mar 2;8:7. doi: 10.1186/1476-511X-8-7. PMID: 19254366; PMCID: PMC2651880.

 

References:

1. Sajjad Moradi, Rahele Ziaei, Sahar Foshati, Hamed Mohammadi, Seyed Mostafa Nachvak, and Mohammad Hossein Rouhani. “Effects of Spirulina supplementation on obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials” Complementary Therapies in Medicine (2019): 47:102211.
2. Moradi, S. et al. Effects of Spirulina Supplementation on Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 47, 102211 (2019).
3. Hitoe, S. & Shimoda, H. Seaweed Fucoxanthin Supplementation Improves Obesity Parameters in Mild Obese Japanese Subjects. Functional Foods in Health and Disease 7, 246–262 (2017).
4. Gammone, M. A. & D’Orazio, N. Anti-Obesity Activity of the Marine Carotenoid Fucoxanthin. Mar Drugs 13, 2196–2214 (2015).
5. Gabbia, D. & De Martin, S. Brown Seaweeds for the Management of Metabolic Syndrome and Associated Diseases. Molecules 25, 4182 (2020).
6. Ojulari, O. V., Lee, S. G. & Nam, J.-O. Beneficial Effects of Natural Bioactive Compounds from Hibiscus sabdariffa L. on Obesity. Molecules 24, 210 (2019).
7. Chang, H.-C., Peng, C.-H., Yeh, D.-M., Kao, E.-S. & Wang, C.-J. Hibiscus sabdariffa extract inhibits obesity and fat accumulation and improves liver steatosis in humans. Food Funct 5, 734–739 (2014).
8. Gurrola-Díaz, C. M. et al. Effects of Hibiscus sabdariffa extract powder and preventive treatment (diet) on the lipid profiles of patients with metabolic syndrome (MeSy). Phytomedicine 17, 500–505 (2010).
9. Lin, T.-L. et al. Hibiscus sabdariffa extract reduces serum cholesterol in men and women. Nutrition Research 27, 140–145 (2007).
10. Méndez-Del Villar, M., González-Ortiz, M., Martínez-Abundis, E., Pérez-Rubio, K. G. & Cortez-Navarrete, M. Effect of Irvingia gabonensis on Metabolic Syndrome, Insulin Sensitivity, and Insulin Secretion. J Med Food 21, 568–574 (2018).
11. Shiojima, Y., Takahashi, M., Kikuchi, M. & Akanuma, M. Effect of ellagic acid on body fat and triglyceride reduction in healthy overweight volunteers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study. Functional Foods in Health and Disease 10, 180–194 (2020).
12. Ngondi, J. L., Etoundi, B. C., Nyangono, C. B., Mbofung, C. M. & Oben, J. E. IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled investigation. Lipids Health Dis 8, 7 (2009).