Written by Marcia J. Egles, MD. In a small rat study, a group taking pterostilbene, a grape antioxidant had 22.9% less body fat.
Pterostilbene and resveratrol are naturally occurring anti-oxidant compounds found in blueberries and grapes. These related substances are part of the plant’s defense system against plant diseases. They may also be of benefit to humans against human diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and neurological disease (2). A research group from Spain recently investigated the potential of pterostilbene against obesity by demonstrating its effects on rats fed a fattening diet (1).
Past studies have reported resveratrol to reduce fatty tissue in various animal models such as mice, rats and primates (1). However, resveratrol is rapidly metabolized in the gut and liver. Resveratrol’s related compound pterostilbene is less extensively metabolized. Pterostilbene has a potential clinical advantage over other similar compounds in that it is more bioavailable and stable. Dosages of pterostilbene up to 250 mg per day in adults with hyperlipidemia have been reported to be without adverse effects (3).
Twenty-seven six- week old male rats were freely fed a diet composed of 20.0 per cent sucrose (common table sugar) and 22.5 % fat ( type of fat not specified). The animals were divided into three groups of nine rats each. One group received only the obesegenic diet. The second group received 15 milligrams of pterostilbene per kilogram body weight per day in addition to the diet. The third group was supplemented with pterostilbene at 30mg/kg/day. The feeding and pterostilbene supplements were implemented for a six- week period.
After the six weeks, various parameters pertinent to obesity research were examined. There were no significant differences between the three groups in the amount of food consumed or the weight gained over the 6 weeks, with the young rats all more than doubling in size.
However, the rats fed pterostilbene had significantly (p less than 0.05) less total fat tissue than the control rats. The average fat tissue total weight in the control rats was 47.5 grams, that of the 15mg/kg/day group was 40.3 grams ( a 15.1 % reduction), and that of the 30 mg/kg/day group was 36.6 grams ( a 22. 9% reduction). Biochemical tests of the fatty tissue showed reduced lipogenesis (new formation of fat) in the fat tissue and increased fatty acid oxidation in the livers of the rats that received pterostilbene.
There was a 31.1 % reduction in serum insulin in the 15 mg/kg/day group but no significant insulin changes in the other groups. In the range of dosage studied, no dose-response effect was observed between insulin levels and pterostilbene dosage.
In summary, according to this study, pterostilbene shows antiobesity properties in young male rats. Reduced lipogenesis in adipose tissue and increased fatty acid oxidation in the liver contribute to this effect.
Source: Gómez-Zorita, Saioa, et al. “Pterostilbene, a dimethyl ether derivative of resveratrol, reduces fat accumulation in rats fed an obesogenic diet.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 62.33 (2014): 8371-8378.
© 2014 American Chemical Society
Posted February 12, 2015.
Marcia Egles, MD, graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1986. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at St. Louis University Hospital. Dr. Egles is certified in Internal Medicine and is a member of the American College of Physicians. She resides in Avon, IN with her husband and two sons.
References:
- Gomez-Zorita, Saioa et al,“Pterostilbene, a Dimethyl Ether Derivative of Resveratrol, Reduces Fat Accumulation in Rats Fed an Obesogenic Diet,” J. Agric.Food Chem. 2014,62,8371-8378.
- McCormack D, McFadden D. A review of pterostilbene antioxidant activity and disease modification. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2013: 2013-575482. Doi:10.1155/2013/575482. Epub2013 Apr.4.
- M. Riche, C. L. McEwen, K. D. Riche, et al., “Analysis of safety from a human clinical trial with pterostilbene,” Journal of Toxicology, vol. 2013, Article ID 463595, 5 pages, 2013.
