Wild Almond Tree Oil May Thwart Obesity, Diabetes

ROLLA, Mo.Sterculic oil, which is derived from the seeds of wild almond trees known as Sterculia foetida, may help reduce obesity and diabetes thanks to its ability to affect certain microorganisms living in the gut, according to new research presented that the American Society for Microbiologys general meeting.

Researchers from Missouri University of Science and Technology found that the addition of wild almond tree oil in the diets of obese lab mice lowered levels of three type of gut microbiotiaActinobacteria, Bacilli and Erysipelotrichiain the obese mice, helping to increase their sensitivity to insulin. The results found statistically significant improvement in glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in the obese mice"; the sterculic oil had no adverse affects on lean mice fed the same diet.

The researchers examined 28 male mice14 of them obese and 14 normal, and each of them 5 weeks old at the beginning of the study. The mice were separated into four groups, and for nine weeks fed a standard diet to one group of obese mice and one group of non-obese mice. Over the same period, researchers fed the same diet, supplemented with 0.5% of sterculic oil, to one group of obese mice and one group of non-obese mice. After the nine weeks, results from a DNA analysis confirmed correlations between the diet, improved glucose tolerance and groups of microbes. Even though the mice fed a diet with sterculic oil did not experience weight loss, the researchers said their findings could lead to new insights into controlling diabetes and weight gain.