Awa (Tokushima) lactate-fermented tea as well as green tea enhance the effect of diet restriction on obesity in rats.

Abstract

Drinking tea is recommended for promoting health due to its bioactive nutrients, such as catechins and caffeine. In Tokushima area, we have a unique traditional tea, named Awa tea, which are fermented with Lactobacillus pentosus and Lactobacillus plantarum. The present study was designed to investigate anti-obesity effects of the Awa tea and compare with those of non-fermented green tea. Obese male Wistar rats (19 weeks of age) were given by low energy diets containing 3% of Awa and green tea extracts, respectively, or without any tea extracts (control), for 4 weeks. Awa tea contained smaller amount of catechins than green tea, although they contained similar amounts of polyphenols. This finding indicates that there are distinct kinds of polyphenols from catechins. The diets containing Awa and green tea extracts further decreased whole body weight, fat tissue mass and plasma leptin level, compared with control diet. In addition, their diets increased the daily amount of lipid excreted to feces and total 24-h-energy consumption, compared with the control group. However, there is no significant difference in these anti-obesity effects between Awa tea and green tea. Our results indicate that Awa lactate-fermented tea as well as green tea similarly enhance the effect of diet restriction on obesity, at least in part, through the increase in fat energy consumption and the decrease in fat absorption in rats.

• Authors: Misako Sogawa, Takahiro Seura, Shohei Kohno, Katsuya Hirasaka, Yasunaga Yamaguchi, Ryoji Takagaki, Akiko Harada, Yuushi Okumura, Shigeru Yamamoto, Kyoichi Kishi, Takeshi Nikawa
• Journal: The journal of medical investigation : JMI (J Med Invest) Vol. 56 Issue 1-2 Pg. 42-8 (Feb 2009) ISSN: 1349-6867 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 19262013 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Insulin
• Leptin
• Plant Extracts
• Tea

Topics

• Adipose Tissue (drug effects)
• Animals
• Body Weight (drug effects)
• Camellia sinensis
• Combined Modality Therapy
• Diet, Reducing
• Disease Models, Animal
• Energy Metabolism (drug effects)
• Fermentation
• Insulin (blood)
• Lactobacillus plantarum
• Leptin (blood)
• Lipid Metabolism (drug effects)
• Male
• Obesity (metabolism, therapy)
• Plant Extracts (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Rats
• Rats, Wistar
• Tea