Hibiscus Extract Safely Inhibits Obesity · Mind and Body Solutions

Hibiscus Extract Safely Inhibits Obesity

Researchers with Chung-Shan Medical University, Taiwan, looked at the effects of hibiscus extract (HSE) on metabolic regulation in a group of overweight or obese adults, ages 18 to 65. Participants received either HSE -- at a dose of 450 milligrams (mg) -- or a placebo capsule containing 500 mg of starch daily for 12 weeks. The hibiscus extract led to a number of beneficial effects on obesity as well as liver health.

Those in the HSE group had decreased body weight, body mass index (BMI) and body fat, as well as reduced abdominal fat distribution. Serum free fatty acids, which tend to be elevated in people with obesity, also decreased, while fatty liver disease improved.

"Noticeably, the safety evaluation revealed that HSE did not harm the human body," the researchers noted. They included a breakdown of functional ingredients in HSE that likely contributed to the impressive anti-obesity and liver-protective effects shown in the study.

Hibiscus polyphenols are also xenohormetic agents, which describe bioactive compounds produced when plants are stressed, which then confer benefits to the animals that consume them. Anthocyanins, which are responsible for hibiscus' bright red flowers, are one example, and it's believed their antioxidant effects are responsible for some of the plant's health benefits, though not all.

One study also revealed that different colored hibiscus led to different health benefits related to obesity and insulin resistance. Alma blanca, a white-yellow hibiscus variety rich in organic and phenolic acids, surprisingly had greater anti-obesity and antidiabetic effects in rats, compared to Cuarenteña, a purple variety.

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