A new study with mice¹ that are programmed to rapidly develop insulin resistance, fatty liver, and atherosclerosis found that nobiletin, a citrus-derived polymethoxylatedflavone, prevented the development of all three problems.

Nobiletin was found to lower LDL cholesterol by suppressing the production of triglyceride-rich VLDL cholesterol. Furthermore, nobiletin actually turned on genes in the liver that induced fat burning, thus preventing a build up of unhealthy fat in the liver. And nobiletin was found to promote insulin sensitivity, the opposite of insulin resistance, not only in the liver but at other locations around the body. In comparison to a control group that rapidly gained weight, the animals on nobiletin did not gain any extra weight even though they were fed the exact same diet. These beneficial effects “dramatically attenuated atherosclerosis.”

“The Nobiletin-treated mice were basically protected from obesity,” says Murray Huff, the Director of the Vascular Biology Research Group at Robarts. “And in longer-term studies, Nobiletin also protected these animals from atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque in arteries, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. This study really paves the way for future studies to see if this is a suitable treatment for metabolic syndrome and related conditions in people.”

Posted by Byron J Richards at 04:45 PM.

(0) Comments • Permalink