Plum hailed in fight against obesity after bringing fat rats 'back to normal'

[Lynx-lynx]

There's a very interesting article on the ABC website about a new variety of plum called the Queen Garnet whose properties contain a very high anti oxidant level.

The research to date has identified that the plum known as QK for short, has reversed certain illnesses common to humans and rats. Professor Lindsay Brown, from the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba said:

"We gave plum juice to obese rats with the same health problems humans have from being overweight ... They had high blood pressure, a fatty liver, poor heart function and arthritis.... When we put the plum juice in their food it all came back to normal without changing their diet...... They lost weight, while their blood pressure, fat levels, as well as liver and heart function all returned to normal levels."

Professor Brown says the next step is human trials.

It's important to note that human trials have not begun, and need an injection of funds before they can proceed.

As the Article indicates there is insufficient supply of the plum at this time for sales to shops ..... bummer because although I do not suffer from any of the illnesses tested, I would have liked to taste it for myself and added it to my own and family's diet for some self testing as to obvious (or not) changes.

Full article:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-1...besity/6094914

[kindlekitten]

wouldn't prune juice have some of the same effects?

[eschwartz]

Maybe, but it wouldn't be as newsworthy.

[meeera]

Which high-quality peer-reviewed journal was this published in, and has it been replicated? What did the control rats get?

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

wouldn't prune juice have some of the same effects?

No, apparently it's to do with the genetic structure of this particular variety, and it's really high anthocyanin levels. (I only know what's in the Article, but that's what they claim.)

This variety of plum does still make it's own plum juice and that's what they fed the mice in the trials.

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by meeera

Which high-quality peer-reviewed journal was this published in, and has it been replicated? What did the control rats get?

That's definitely a good question meeera, and one for the various professors/scientists mentioned in the Article.

I didn't see the Landline program, but it looks like it was interesting.

[pdurrant]

Purple Carrot Juice seems to have the same effects. See this paper by the same professor.

http://journals.cambridge.org/downlo...bc6fe8a66d382c

And yes, there was a control group. Looks pretty good. But means litle without human trials.

[Lynx-lynx]

I hope that some of the claims (possibly all?) do replicate for humans under full scientific trial conditions. It would certainly be a breakthrough for people with those various afflictions.

More than that, it's not drug company dependent. (Which no doubt means that funding for the trial will be hard to come by.)

[Lynx-lynx]

Paul is that Japanese writing next to your avatar name?

BTW the link in your post leads to a PDF to download, which is maybe what you it's supposed to do?

Edit
Ahh Noble Mouse .... I see ....

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

Paul is that Japanese writing next to your avatar name?

BTW the link in your post leads to a PDF to download, which is maybe what you it's supposed to do?

Edit
Ahh Noble Mouse .... I see ....

Chinese. I got some help with the translation in the neverending thread.

And yes, it's a link to the PDF of the carrots paper. I couldn't find a link to the current paper.

The fact that the first commercial crop of the plums is just being harvested probably has nothing to do with the timing of the paper

[Lynx-lynx]

If they called for volunteers to be part of the trial that didn't test for any of the illnesses being assessed then I would volunteer. But I don't think that they include that category of person in a double blind test, lol.

Would you volunteer for a test like this one, where eating a plum, or drinking plum juice is all that you had to do? (That is, the testees no doubt wouldn't probably know which variety of plum they were eating/drinking.)

This seems like a safe test to me. Not that I know what on earth that I'm talking about!

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

And yes, there was a control group. Looks pretty good. But means litle without human trials.

Well, there was a control group that received a different supplement and a control group that didn't receive a supplement. There wasn't a control group that received 'ordinary' plum juice.

The paper did note that the calories intake of the groups didn't differ.

[badgoodDeb]

This is also the sort of project that might benefit from a Kickstarter campaign, to get ordinary people to fund it. There are a lot of us who would like to find a simple solution to weight loss! And who might chip in a few dollars each.

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Purple Carrot Juice seems to have the same effects. See this paper by the same professor.

http://journals.cambridge.org/downlo...bc6fe8a66d382c

And yes, there was a control group. Looks pretty good. But means litle without human trials.

Awesome! I had already planned on planting a rainbow of carrots this year. I have on order white, red, yellow and purple carrots as well as basic orange

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

This is also the sort of project that might benefit from a Kickstarter campaign, to get ordinary people to fund it. There are a lot of us who would like to find a simple solution to weight loss! And who might chip in a few dollars each.

I like your thinking, and the Queensland Government needs all the Kickstart help it can get.