Pre-Meal Supplement Reduces Fat, Sugar Absorption

JERUSALEMTaking a nano-dietary supplement 30 minutes prior to consuming a high-fat and high-sugar meal significantly reduces fat and sugar absorption in the body, according to a new study published in the journal PLoS One.

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Harvard University who developed the nano-dietary supplement suggest naringenin, the molecule responsible for the bitter taste in grapefruits, may one day be used in the treatment of diabetes, arteriosclerosis and hyper-metabolism.

The absorption of naringenin in its natural form is very low; therefore, the team created a nano-complex of naringenin within a ring of sugar called cyclodextrin. The complex increased the absorption of naringenin by 11 times. They found a single dose of the complex, taken just before a high-fat and high-sugar meal given to rats, reduced the generation of VLDL (bad cholesterol) by 42 percent and increased insulin sensitivity by 64 percent.

The complex is special in that it is taken just before a meal, as a preventative measure. In comparison, existing medications are given only after the chronic development of abnormal lipid levels in the blood," the researchers said.