Effects of Tea Catechins on Diet-induced Obesity in Mice

Abstract

Examination was made of the effects of tea catechins (TC) on diet-induced obesity. Exposure to high-fat-diet (30% fat) in C57BL/6J mice for 4 weeks induced significant increase in body weight, visceral fat (epididymal, mesenteric, retroperitoneal, perinephric) weight and plasma concentrations of glucose, triacylglycerol and leptin, compared to low-fat diet (5% fat). Treatment with 0.1%TC (high-fat diet +0.1%TC group) had little effect on diet-induced obesity. Relative to high-fat diet and 0.1%TC treatment, 0.5%TC treatment (high-fat diet +0.5%TC group) was noted to bring about significant decrease in body weight, visceral, fat weights and plasma leptin. Lipid absorption rate was the same with the high fat diet and 0.5%TC treatment. An oral soluble starch and sucrose (SS-S) tolerance test was conducted on C57BL/6J mice to evaluate the effects of TC to sugar absorption. When the ratio of TC to sum of SS-S was the same as that in the diet composition for the 0.5%TC treatment, the plasma glucose level showed no response. These results demonstrate for the first time TC to have antiobesity effects on diet-induced obesity in mice, and suggest these effects to be exerted through a mechanism that would not involve inhibition of intestinal absorption of sugar and lipid.