Asian Scientist (Jun. 07, 2022)–‘Burn fat! Lose weight!’ We are bombarded with weight loss products everyday, particularly miracle working fat burners. Manufacturers proclaim that fat burners promote weight loss by reducing fat absorption.
This begs the question: Are these commercial products truly effective? A multidisciplinary team at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed a scientifically proven fat absorption capsule from pineapple leaves. Their findings were recently published in NUSNews.
Global obesity rates have tripled over the past 50 years. This trend has been on the rise, contributed by sedentary lifestyles and exacerbated by a highly fatty diet. This spells trouble because excessive fat consumption leads to high cholesterol levels which increase chances of developing dread conditions like high blood pressure, heart attack and cancer.
Alarmingly, 35.5% of Singapore residents aged between 18 and 74 years old have high blood pressure, and 39.1% of the residents in the same age group have high cholesterol. Excessive fat consumption can decrease people’s quality of life and place a higher burden on the healthcare system of their countries.
As such, many people might resort to fat burners to help alleviate the problem. However, current commercial fat burners are not backed by scientific evidence on their effectiveness in aiding weight loss. Additionally, they are expensive and contain chemical additives. No in-depth research has been conducted on these additives to examine their actual effectiveness and potential side effects like high heart rates and nausea.
Meanwhile, pineapple leaves are a natural fat absorber. Their use as a commercial fat burner could reduce post-agricultural wastage, while allowing people to lose weight safely and effectively. “We capitalised on the excellent mechanical properties of pineapple leaf fibres for fat absorption” said research team leader Associate Professor Duong Hai-Minh from the Department of Mechanical Engineering under the NUS College of Design and Engineering.
These capsules are the first-of-its kind to repurpose the otherwise discarded pineapple leaves. Pineapple leaf fibres are upcycled to produce ingestible capsules. The cellulose found in natural fibres absorbs fats (saturated or unsaturated fats, you name them!) to form a fat-coated fibre lump. The human body is unable to digest the fibre and the capsule passes through the digestive tract to be excreted in a few days.
Laboratory tests have yielded promising results. Imitating acidic conditions of the gut, the NUS team found that one gram of the capsule can absorb up to 65 grams of cooked and human fats. Talk about killing two birds with one stone at a fraction of the cost! “You will need less than one capsule of pineapple leaf fibres to absorb the saturated fats from eating one hamburger,” Assoc Prof Duong added.
This innovative discovery could be harnessed for different cellulose fibres like sugarcane and coffee grounds to develop other fat burners and help reduce global obesity. The team is now working on patenting this novel application and working with relevant partners to bring this technology to the market.
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Source: National University of Singapore; Photo: Shutterstock
