Nutritional supplements for a better weight control (part 1)
The fucoxanthin
The fucoxanthin the brown pigment is found in large quantities in the brown algae Undaria pinnatifida, or wakame, used in salads and Japanese miso soup. Researchers at the University of Hokkaido, Japan, just to demonstrate that fucoxanthin burns fat very effectively. Working with mice, Japanese scientists have successfully demonstrated that by stimulating the production of a protein, UCP1, able to oxidize fats and to promote their degradation, fucoxanthin could help weight loss of 5 to 10%. They also demonstrated that it stimulates the production by the liver of mice with DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), a fatty acid of omega-3 known to reduce levels of “bad” cholesterol LDL1 2.
Two double-blind studies, controlled against placebo were tested on 150 overweight women the effect of concentrated fucoxanthin combined with a diet providing 1 800 kcal. The subjects were followed for 16 weeks. In the first trial, the group supplemented with fucoxanthin lost an average of 7 kg, as against only 1.5 kilograms in the placebo group. In the second study, the metabolic rate of subjects taking the fucoxanthin was significantly higher than placebo. (more…)
