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S. Korean Scientists Find Anti-OBESITY Material in Pumpkin Roots
Asia Pulse Pte Ltd
08-16-07
SEOUL, Aug. 16 Asia Pulse - South Korean scientists said Thursday they found a "powerful" anti-obesity material in pumpkin roots and are conducting tests to develop it into a health product.
The water-soluble PG105 prevents fat from accumulating in the body and helps dissolve existing fat, leading to weight loss, the team led by Seoul National University professor Kim Sun-young said.
The findings published in the latest issue of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications are based on experiments conducted on 34 overweight and non-overweight laboratory mice.
The biological scientist and researcher from Helixir Co., a local pharmaceutical-nutraceutical company, said tests conducted over several months showed mice given water containing extract of the pumpkin root lost 18 per cent more weight than those fed distilled water. All the mice received the same amount of food.
It also said that dissections of mice that were fed PG105 extract showed they had lower levels of body fat.
"Detailed tests showed that there was a decrease in such chemicals as SREBP-1c and SCD-1 that are linked to fat accumulation in the body," Kim said.
He added there was a rise in the number of PPARa, ACO-1, CPT-1 and UCP-2 chemicals that are associated with dissolving body fat in animals.
The scientists said pre-clinical tests are currently underway with Samsung Medical Center to determine whether PG105 causes any side effects in humans.
Asia Pulse Pte Ltd
08-16-07
SEOUL, Aug. 16 Asia Pulse - South Korean scientists said Thursday they found a "powerful" anti-obesity material in pumpkin roots and are conducting tests to develop it into a health product.
The water-soluble PG105 prevents fat from accumulating in the body and helps dissolve existing fat, leading to weight loss, the team led by Seoul National University professor Kim Sun-young said.
The findings published in the latest issue of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications are based on experiments conducted on 34 overweight and non-overweight laboratory mice.
The biological scientist and researcher from Helixir Co., a local pharmaceutical-nutraceutical company, said tests conducted over several months showed mice given water containing extract of the pumpkin root lost 18 per cent more weight than those fed distilled water. All the mice received the same amount of food.
It also said that dissections of mice that were fed PG105 extract showed they had lower levels of body fat.
"Detailed tests showed that there was a decrease in such chemicals as SREBP-1c and SCD-1 that are linked to fat accumulation in the body," Kim said.
He added there was a rise in the number of PPARa, ACO-1, CPT-1 and UCP-2 chemicals that are associated with dissolving body fat in animals.
The scientists said pre-clinical tests are currently underway with Samsung Medical Center to determine whether PG105 causes any side effects in humans.
