I only know one person whose favorite color is orange, but they may be on to something with weight loss. Western University researchers identified a substance called nobiletin from oranges and tangerines which modify how animal metabolism handles lipids (fats). In a study of rats fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet, those rats fed nobiletin ended up being leaner and with lower insulin resistance.
They are still searching for the mechanism that explains these effects and testing to see if humans are similarly affected. With the epidemic of metabolic diseases we are facing, we need all the tools we can get to help patients overcome. Functional MD’s like myself love this kind of research which reminds us all that God wove an abundance of health promoting substances into natural foods.
Original Article:
Nadya M. Morrow, Amy C. Burke, Joshua P. Samsoondar, Kyle E. Seigel, Andrew Wang, Dawn E. Telford, Brian G. Sutherland, Conor O’Dwyer, Gregory R. Steinberg, Morgan D. Fullerton, Murray W. Huff. The citrus flavonoid nobiletin confers protection from metabolic dysregulation in high-fat-fed mice independent of AMPK. Journal of Lipid Research, 2020; 61 (3): 387 DOI: 10.1194/jlr.RA119000542
Thanks to Science Daily:
University of Western Ontario. “Molecule found in oranges could reduce obesity and prevent heart disease and diabetes.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 March 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200303140158.htm>.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.