Scientists have harnessed the power of a purple flower to develop a natural weight-loss pill that has helped women drop a dress size in only 12 weeks.
Overweight adults in a trial were able to shed half a stone simply by taking one of the tablets daily - without dieting or sticking to a stringent exercise regime.
The remarkable results – unveiled in the journal Nutrition Research – suggest the treatment is four times as effective as fat-busting drugs currently on the market.
And there are also no side-effects as the key ingredient is a flower which grows freely in the Far East.
The type of purple chrysanthemum – called Aster spathulifolius Maxim (ASM) – is eaten as a vegetable in Korea but academics there have been investigating its health properties.
Researchers from Kyung Hee University chose 41 men and women with a Body Mass Index of between 25 and 30, which is classed as clinically obese in Asia.
On average, participants were 5ft 6in tall but tipped the scales at 12 stone and had a 38-inch waist.
Split into two groups, 21 of them were given pills made from an extract of ASM while the rest were handed placebos, one tablet to be taken every day after breakfast.
Both sets were given advice about healthy eating but told to maintain regular diet and physical activity patterns.
Calorie intake was monitored as part of the study and found to be roughly equivalent in each group.
After twelve weeks, those taking placebos had seen no marked difference in their BMI, weight or waistline.
But the group with ASM supplements had seen significant changes.
Each participant had typically shed just over seven pounds and now had a waistline of less than 35.5 inches while average BMI dropped from 27 to 26.
Manufactured drugs on the market would usually achieve these results after a year’s treatment though with an accompanying risk of side-effects such as stomach upsets and headaches.
The study states: ‘Less than 5 per cent of individuals attempting to lose weight do so through the use of prescription drugs.
‘This might be due to concerns about drug-related adverse events or medication cost.
‘Although several dietary supplements for reducing body weight have been developed and studied, their effects are not convincing.’
But it adds: ‘[In our study], supplementation of ASM significantly decreased body weight and fat mass without serious adverse events in obese humans.
‘[These] results suggest that it is a promising and efficacious food supplement for the management of obesity.’
The team had previously successfully tried out ASM on rats and studied how it reacts with types of fats under the microscope but this is the first time it had been tested on people.
They suspect that the results may be down to the flower possessing a key ingredient called chlorogenic acid.
This alters the body’s metabolism, sending signals which prompt the body to use fat for energy rather than store it.
The National Obesity Forum gave the findings a qualified welcome.
Spokesman Tam Fry said: ‘Pills to allow you to drop dress sizes are two-a-penny and it is the foolhardy that believe the hype without due caution.
‘But because the ingredient is natural there just might be something in it.
‘Remember that Stevia, a small plant from faraway Peru, has allowed beverage companies to drop quantities of calories from their products - and dress sizes will drop because of it.’
ASM is a perennial plant found near coastlines in Japan, Korea, China and eastern Russia.
Previous studies have shown its extract can protect against the flu virus, tumour growth and diabetes.
Resource: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Overweight adults in a trial were able to shed half a stone simply by taking one of the tablets daily - without dieting or sticking to a stringent exercise regime.
The remarkable results – unveiled in the journal Nutrition Research – suggest the treatment is four times as effective as fat-busting drugs currently on the market.
And there are also no side-effects as the key ingredient is a flower which grows freely in the Far East.
The type of purple chrysanthemum – called Aster spathulifolius Maxim (ASM) – is eaten as a vegetable in Korea but academics there have been investigating its health properties.
Researchers from Kyung Hee University chose 41 men and women with a Body Mass Index of between 25 and 30, which is classed as clinically obese in Asia.
On average, participants were 5ft 6in tall but tipped the scales at 12 stone and had a 38-inch waist.
Split into two groups, 21 of them were given pills made from an extract of ASM while the rest were handed placebos, one tablet to be taken every day after breakfast.
Both sets were given advice about healthy eating but told to maintain regular diet and physical activity patterns.
Calorie intake was monitored as part of the study and found to be roughly equivalent in each group.
After twelve weeks, those taking placebos had seen no marked difference in their BMI, weight or waistline.
But the group with ASM supplements had seen significant changes.
Each participant had typically shed just over seven pounds and now had a waistline of less than 35.5 inches while average BMI dropped from 27 to 26.
Manufactured drugs on the market would usually achieve these results after a year’s treatment though with an accompanying risk of side-effects such as stomach upsets and headaches.
The study states: ‘Less than 5 per cent of individuals attempting to lose weight do so through the use of prescription drugs.
‘This might be due to concerns about drug-related adverse events or medication cost.
‘Although several dietary supplements for reducing body weight have been developed and studied, their effects are not convincing.’
But it adds: ‘[In our study], supplementation of ASM significantly decreased body weight and fat mass without serious adverse events in obese humans.
‘[These] results suggest that it is a promising and efficacious food supplement for the management of obesity.’
The team had previously successfully tried out ASM on rats and studied how it reacts with types of fats under the microscope but this is the first time it had been tested on people.
They suspect that the results may be down to the flower possessing a key ingredient called chlorogenic acid.
This alters the body’s metabolism, sending signals which prompt the body to use fat for energy rather than store it.
The National Obesity Forum gave the findings a qualified welcome.
Spokesman Tam Fry said: ‘Pills to allow you to drop dress sizes are two-a-penny and it is the foolhardy that believe the hype without due caution.
‘But because the ingredient is natural there just might be something in it.
‘Remember that Stevia, a small plant from faraway Peru, has allowed beverage companies to drop quantities of calories from their products - and dress sizes will drop because of it.’
ASM is a perennial plant found near coastlines in Japan, Korea, China and eastern Russia.
Previous studies have shown its extract can protect against the flu virus, tumour growth and diabetes.
Resource: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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