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(Walla system)
If you're trying to lose weight, anything that can help, and in a healthy way, is a bonus - and according to researchers at RMIT University in Australia, that may be just what the hibiscus roselle plant has to offer.
A team of scientists revealed that the antioxidants hidden inside the red fruit of the hibiscus rosell plant have anti-obesity properties that can help as an alternative to existing drugs.
Antioxidant compounds called polyphenols in hibiscus have digestive enzyme-inhibiting properties similar to certain obesity medications, in that they inhibit a digestive enzyme called lipase.
Lipase, which occurs naturally in the body, helps break down fats into small fragments so that the body can absorb them through the intestine, and the excess fats are then converted into fat cells.
However, when polyphenols inhibit the lipase enzyme, the fat cannot be absorbed and so it passes through the colon as waste.
This discovery could be a game changer for anyone who takes medication as part of an obesity management plan, due to the potential side effects of these drugs, which despite their effectiveness, often also include severe side effects on the body.
However, "because these polyphenolic compounds (found in hibiscus) are plant-derived and can be consumed, there should be little or no side effects," Singh explains.
The diet's secret weapon?
Hibiscus Roselle tea (Photo: ShutterStock)
"The phenolic extracts from the roselle could help create a health food product (not only) effective in interfering with the formation of fat cells, but also bypassing the bad side effects of certain drugs," says Professor Benno Adhikari, from RMIT's Center for Food Research and Innovation, who oversaw the new study and believes the hibiscus Rossel - originally from Africa - could become a major player in the health food industry.
In addition, this member of the hibiscus family is the ideal plant to grow.
It is considered disease resistant and does not need much space or water to grow.
The best option to bring these benefits into health food products, the team says, is to encapsulate the plant's phenolic extracts.
"Phenolic extracts are easily oxidized, so not only does putting them in a capsule extend their shelf life, but it allows us to control how they are released and absorbed by the body," Adhikari adds.
"If we don't seal the extract, it could break down in the stomach before we can reap its benefits."
health
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diet
Obesity
obesity