A compound of the berries could be key in new treatments for obesity. A study carried out at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) suggests that a natural compound present in blackberries, called rutin, is capable of activating brown fat, which increases metabolism and aids in the loss of weight. Brown fat (or brown adipose tissue) is what helps burn fat.
With its characteristic sweet flavor, blackberries have a large number of health benefits, including the reduction of cholesterol levels, the improvement of blood sugar levels, and a lower risk of cancer. Now, this study suggests that the blackberry routine can also help treat obesity.
To reach this conclusion, the experts decided to investigate the metabolic effects of the routine, with the objective of determining if the compound could help to lose weight. Thus, they carried out several experiments with a group of mice genetically modified to present obesity and with another group of mice with obesity induced by the diet. Both groups of mice were fed a regular diet throughout the experiment.
They discovered that in both sets of mice, the routine activated the brown adipose tissue or brown fat, which led to an increase in energy expenditure, a better homeostasis of glucose and the reduction of fat.
Considering that brown fat is activated by the cold, the researchers believe that the blackberry routine acts as a "mimetic cold" activating a specific signaling that increases the activity of a gene called UCP1 and the number of mitochondria of fat Brown. This consequence occurred both in mice with genetic obesity and induced by diet.
"The beneficial effects of routine metabolic enhancement mediated by brown fat have confirmed a substantial interest in the potential treatment for obesity and its related diseases, such as diabetes. In line with this idea, it is necessary to discover safe and effective activators such as brown fat to deal with obesity and its related diseases, "explains Wan-Jin Zhu, leader of the work.