Mulberry Extract Activates Brown Fat

27 Oct 2016 --- A natural compound in mulberries, called “rutin”, can activate the brown adipose tissue (BAT) in the body to increase metabolism and facilitate weight loss, according to new research published in The FASEB Journal.

Brown fat, previously thought present only in human babies, can be found in small amounts in the adult body, and has been associated with low BMI’s and its ability to burn calories.

According to a 2014 study conducted by National Institutes of Health researchers and published in the journal Diabetes, brown fat is activated by the cold, but this new study suggests that there could be other ways of activating BAT.

Wan-Zhu Jin, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the new study from the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China, said: “The beneficial effects of rutin on BAT-mediated metabolic improvement have evoked a substantial interest in the potential treatment for obesity and its related diseases, such as diabetes.”

“In line with this idea, discovery of more safe and effective BAT activators is desired to deal with obesity and its related diseases.”

Jin and colleagues used both genetically obese mice and mice with diet-induced obesity as models. They were fed a regular diet, and supplemental rutin (1 mg/ml) was added to their drinking water.

The researchers found that the Rutin treatment significantly reduced adiposity, increased energy expenditure, and improved glucose homeostasis in both the genetically obese mice and the mice with diet-induced obesity.

Rutin also induced brown-like (beige) adipocyte formation in subcutaneous adipose tissue in both obesity mouse models.

“Unlike hibernating animals, we humans have only a small spot of brown fat, and yet its importance in human metabolism has only recently come into view,” said Thoru Pederson, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal.

“In this study, the philosophy of ancient Chinese medicine's exploitation of plant materials has conjoined in the modern era with a very able physiology research team to evoke a promising lead.”