Abstract
Petit vert is a hybrid of Brussels sprout and kale, and was newly developed in Japan in 1991. The health benefits of Petit vert are attracting much attention because of its high vitamin and mineral contents compared with other vegetables. We examined the anti-obesitic effect of Petit vert on mice fed a high-fat/glucose/cholesterol diet (Western diet; W). The mice were divided into 4 groups: CT (standard diet), PV (standard diet including 5% Petit vert), W and W+5% Petit vert (WPV). Petit vert significantly prevented the increase of body weight and abdominal fat tissue. In addition, the triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol levels in blood and liver were not changed by addition of Petit vert to a western diet. Moreover, Petit vert significantly increased the excretion of TG and cholesterol, and inhibited the hepatic activity of fatty acid synthase (FAS). These data indicate that Petit vert has the anti-obesitic effect through modulation of lipid metabolism in liver, and the excretion of lipids to feces.
