(22-09-12) An apple a day keeps diabetes at bay?

by Raw Michelle

(NaturalNews) Obesity is a growing problem in North American, with over one
fifth of school-aged children and adolescents classified as overweight, and
roughly 35 percent of adults considered clinically obese. Obesity related
medical complications account for roughly 10 percent of overall healthcare
spending.

Problems associated with increased body weight include type 2 diabetes, fatty
liver disease, numerous cancers and immunological failure. The stark rise of
these conditions, in addition to obesity rates themselves, gives cause for
growing waistlines to become a growing concern among health care researchers.
While other routes of research are already focusing on controlling the obesity
problem itself, a team from the University of Iowa is looking into ways that to
both defend against complications obesity as well as mediate the negative
effects that can arise from excess body weight.

Folk medicine for modern problems
The results of their study were published in June 2012, outlining some
suggestions that their research indicated would be beneficial. While folk
wisdom has long held the belief that apples are an excellent guard against
health problems, this new research confirms what has long been suspected. Apple
peels contain a substance that is called ursolic acid. Ursolic acid has been
shown, in the past, to increase muscle mass and overall strength in non-obese
mice. Researchers' first inclination was that it would be extremely useful
against muscle wasting diseases, rather than obesity.

The study demonstrates that the chemical promotes the conversion of calories
into muscle and brown fat. While at first glance, most people might suspect
that all fat is bad, particularly for people already afflicted with an excess,
brown fat actually feeds on other kinds of fat, making it a valuable asset to
weight loss. Exercise converts white fat into brown. Brown fat has also been
shown to directly absorb and burn glucose, making it especially valuable to
diabetics, who often have difficulty regulating blood sugar levels.

Not all fat is created equal
Both muscle and brown fat are renowned for their consumption of white fat
stores as fuel. These implications led researchers to replicate the diseased
conditions in mice, and test how the inclusion of ursolic acid in the diet
might effect their overall health status. As anticipated, muscle mass was
increased, but other more acute changes indicate promise for benefit for obese
individuals. The dietary change lowered the amount of glucose circulating in
the blood, as well lessen pre-diabetic conditions and the degree of fatty liver
disease.

While the increase in muscle was anticipated, the increase in brown fat was
not. The increase in brown fat served to amplify the effect of fat burning, and
may help to prevent type 2 diabetes. The likelihood of developing diabetes is
prominent concern for individuals carrying excess weight.

Sources for this article include
http://www.plosone.org
http://www.canadianbusiness.com
http://www.alaskadispatch.com
http://www.nytimes.com

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