A Chinese research study from 2013 ended up with interesting results that underscore the value of pummelos, and in particular their peels, in controlling metabolic disorders.
What is Metabolic Syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome, as the name implies, isn’t a single condition but a cluster that come together, including high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose levels, high cholesterol or triglyceride levels in the blood, and excess body fat around the waistline.
It’s a precursor to serious issues like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, and it’s a growing problem all over the world.
Researchers induced metabolic syndrome in mice with a high fat diet.
Then, the animals in the test group were fed a high fat diet supplemented with a 1% extract made from the peels of four different varieties of pummelos, against a control group who were fed only the high fat diet.
The Study
The research study lasted 8 weeks. During the experiment, the researchers measured body weight and food intake. At the end, they measured various results relating to blood glucose levels and tolerance, the insulin (INS) tolerance test, and lipid profiles.
While results were noted for all varieties of pummelo, some were more effective than others. Here’s what they found with the mice who consumed the pummelo peel extract:
- Blocked weight gain;
- Lowered fasting blood glucose, serum TC, liver lipid levels;
- Improved glucose tolerance and insulin resistance;
- Lowered serum insulin levels.
It’s important to take into account that this occurred while they were still fed a high fat diet.
Here’s what the researchers wrote in conclusion:
We found that that pummelo peel extracts could prevent high-fat diet-induced metabolic disorders in C57BL/6 mice through the activation of the PPARα and GLUT4 signaling. Our results indicate that pummelo peels could be used as a dietary therapy and the potential source of drug for metabolic disorders.
The good news is, consuming pummelo peels can also be delicious. Try our recipe for pummelo tea.
