Title |
Daily Ingestion of Grains of Paradise (Aframomum melegueta) Extract Increases Whole-Body Energy Expenditure and Decreases Visceral Fat in Humans
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Published in |
Journal of Nutritional Science & Vitaminology, January 2014
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DOI | 10.3177/jnsv.60.22 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Jun Sugita, Takeshi Yoneshiro, Yuuki Sugishima, Takeshi Ikemoto, Hideyo Uchiwa, Isao Suzuki, Masayuki Saito |
Abstract |
We reported previously that a single ingestion of an alcohol extract of grains of paradise (GP, Aframomum melegueta), a species of the ginger family, increases energy expenditure (EE) through the activation of brown adipose tissue, a site of sympathetically mediated metabolic theromogenesis. The present study aimed to examine a daily ingestion of GP extract on whole-body EE and body fat in humans. Whole-body EE and body fat content were measured before and after daily oral ingestion of GP extract (30 mg/d) for 4 wk in 19 non-obese female volunteers aged 20-22 y in a single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Four-week daily ingestion of GP and a placebo decreased and increased slightly the visceral fat area at the umbilicus level, respectively. The GP-induced change was significantly different from that induced by the placebo (p<0.05), and negatively correlated with the initial visceral fat area (r=-0.64, p<0.01). Neither GP nor placebo ingestion affected subcutaneous or total fat. The daily ingestion of GP, but not the placebo, increased whole-body EE (p<0.05). These results suggest that GP extract may be an effective and safe tool for reducing body fat, mainly by preventing visceral fat accumulation. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 3 | 20% |
Spain | 3 | 20% |
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | 1 | 7% |
Unknown | 8 | 53% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 11 | 73% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 4 | 27% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 59 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Researcher | 11 | 18% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 12% |
Student > Bachelor | 7 | 12% |
Other | 3 | 5% |
Professor | 2 | 3% |
Other | 7 | 12% |
Unknown | 23 | 38% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 8 | 13% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 6 | 10% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 5 | 8% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 5 | 8% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 4 | 7% |
Other | 5 | 8% |
Unknown | 27 | 45% |