“The Vine of Divine Thunder”, a plant against overweight and obesity
Our body is able to react on its own to different parameters. This is the case of a hormone naturally present in our body, leptin. This one, also calledthe satiety hormone, is secreted by many tissues and reacts to too much energy supply in the brain, and is also able to burn fat in adipose tissue(1).
The hormone in detail
But this hormone has dysfunctions during overweight or obesity. It no longer has any effect on our body. So, are there plants or drugs that can mimic the effect of leptin? Many studies have already been done on the subject, resulting in many failures. But a new study conducted by a recently published team of researchers from Harvard Medical School, and led by Professor OZCAN Umut(2) has made an astonishing discovery. Indeed, after studying thousands of molecules, they came across the right one: celastrol.
Present in a Chinese plantcalled lei gong teng, or Divine Thunder Vine, celastrol would be able to restore the leptin sensitivity of adipose tissue.
To do this, the study was conducted on mice suffering from obesity. Celastrol was given to them for 3 weeks.
Findings
The results are very encouraging. Indeed, it was found on the mice studied aloss of 40% of their initial weight, as well as a sharp decrease in food intake (3 times less!). It has also been observed, at the biological level, a normalization of leptin levels in the blood, cholesterol, as well as blood glucose.
At the metabolic level, a resumption of leptin action has also been observed.
The results on mice are therefore very encouraging. It now remains to conduct studies to find an effective treatment in humans. Celastrol was already known for its anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. Drug treatments for obesity and overweight already exist, but these have shown that their effectiveness is not complete and causes side effects.
It must be remembered that discovering a treatment against obesity is a good thing, but thisshould not make us forget that a good dietand a healthy lifestyle is the basis of a healthy body, and therefore, also intervenes in the treatment of obesity. Medication is not everything.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.