Peer-reviewedHuman / metabolic research
Oral administration of spa-derived green alga improves insulin resistance in overweight subjects: Mechanistic insights from fructose-fed rats
Kasada K. et al. · DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2020.104633
- Journal
- Pharmacological Research
- Year
- 2020
- Article
- 104633
- Study
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled
- Completed participants
- 29
- Duration
- 12 weeks
Research areas
- Insulin resistance
- AGE–RAGE pathway
- Oxidative stress
- Inflammatory signaling
- Adipocyte biology
- Glycolipids / DGDG
What the study found
- In overweight Japanese adults, 12 weeks of oral intake was compared with placebo. The study reported statistically significant differences in several baseline-adjusted metabolic parameters, including fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and diastolic blood pressure.
- Controlled work in fructose-fed rats and cellular research investigated mechanistic pathways, including the AGE–RAGE–oxidative stress axis, inflammatory signaling and adipocyte biology, and examined glycolipid fractions including DGDG.
What the study does not establish
- It was not a diabetes-treatment trial.
- Participants were apparently healthy overweight Japanese adults.
- Sample size was limited.
- Results should not automatically be generalized to other populations.
- The specific contribution of DGDG to the human findings remains unclear.
- Human findings are not evidence for livestock or aquaculture outcomes.
Conflict / disclosure
Several authors reported employment by Saravio Cosmetics Ltd.