Molasses Extract Helps Curb Obesity

BUNDOORA, AustraliaSupplementing a high-fat diet with molasses extract may help reduce obesity in some individuals, according to a new study that will be presented at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behaviors (SSIB) annual meeting.

Researchers at La Trobe University fed laboratory mice either an unaltered high-fat diet or the same diet supplemented with 2% or 4% molasses extract, which is rich in polyphenols. After 12 weeks eating similar amounts on each diet, the mice that ate the diet containing 4% molasses extract had lower body weight, reduced body fat and decreased blood levels of leptin. Additional studies showed that molasses supplementation led to increased energy excretion, and increased gene expression for several liver and fat cell biomarkers of energy metabolism.

The addition of molasses extract to a high fat diet appears to reduce body weight and body fat levels primarily through reduced caloric absorption. Due to the increasing worldwide prevalence of obesity and associated health problems, supplementing food with molasses extract might be a way to address the escalating rates of overweight and obesity," said lead investigator Richard Weisinger, Ph.D.