Abstract
Obesity has become a major public health problem worldwide. To date, many studies on obesity prevention have been performed. In this study, we examined the anti-obesity effects of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. fruit (SC) water extract in rats fed a high-fat diet. We gave the rats high-fat chow including SC water extract for 10 weeks. Although these rats ate the same amount of chow as the high-fat diet group, their weight gain was significantly inhibited compared to that in the high-fat diet group. Moreover, the SC group showed significantly decreased epididymal fat weight and levels of plasma triglycerides, total cholesterol, and leptin compared to the high-fat diet group. In the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), the SC group showed lower blood glucose levels than the high-fat diet group 90 min after eating. This is the first study to show that SC water extract has anti-obesity effects. It may be beneficial to drink SC water extract or tea after eating to prevent obesity.
