If doctors tell you you're obese, they're not trying to make you feel bad. They're using a specific medical term -- obesity -- to talk with you about your weight and health.

Obesity has become a global health issue. It is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health.^[1] People are generally considered obese when their body mass index (BMI), a measurement obtained by dividing a person's weight by the square of the person's height, is over 30 kg/m², with the range 25–30 kg/m² defined as overweight^[1].

The main treatment for obesity consists of dieting and physical exercise.^[2]Sometimes ,slimming products are chosen as a kind of adjuvant therapy.Now,a good new for obese people is coming--piceatannol can exert anti-obesity effects.This isn’t words of mouth being no guarantee,some studies have proved.

In 2012, Purdue University reported that piceatannol was shown to:

Ø  Alter the timing of gene expressions and gene functions related to obesity;

Ø  Delay or fully suppress adipogenesis (fat cell maturation);

Ø  Improve the actions and utilization of glucose;

Ø  By stopping immature fat cells (preadipocytes) from maturing, piceatannol may help to impede the development of obesity.

In 2015,the group of Llarena M.found a potential renoprotective effect of piceatannol in the obese Zucker rat and that with early intervention^[3].

In 2016,Les F’s group indicated that piceatannol and resveratrol share inhibitory effects on hydrogen peroxide release, monoamine oxidase and lipogenic activities in adipose tissue^[4].

In 2017, Yen-Chen Tung’s group showed that piceatannol exerted anti-obesity effects in C57BL/6

mice through modulating adipogenic proteins and gut microbiota^[5].

In fact, piceatannol (C₁₄H₁₂O₄) is very similar to resveratrol (C₁₄H₁₂O₃) molecularly. Resveratrol is converted to piceatannol in humans after consumption.Like resveratrol, piceatannol is a type of phenolic compound called a stilbenoid. It occurs naturally in grapes, red wine, white tea and other food sources.Besides ,there are many researches suggested that resveratrol also has a ability of anti-obesity.

In 2017,researchers indicated that resveratrol ameliorates diet-induced dysregulation of lipid metabolism in zebrafish (Danio rerio)^[6].Defective lipid metabolism is associated with obesity.And the same year, Fernández-Quintela A’s group showed that resveratrol blunts fat accumulation through decreasing adipogenesis and/or de novo lipogenesis in white adipose tissue. Regarding brown adipose tissue, resveratrol increases the capacity for adaptive thermogenesis^[7].

The prevalence of obesity has been increasing in recent decades and is reaching epidemic proportions. Obese people can become healthy by controlling diet and exercising more. At the same time, they can add some piceatannol. While there are few pure piceatannol supplements available on the market, consuming resveratrol pills or eating food sources with this polyphenol can help you get more piceatannol in your diet.

References

[1]"Obesity and overweight Fact sheet N°311". WHO. January 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2016.

[2]Lau DC, Douketis JD, Morrison KM, Hramiak IM, Sharma AM, Ur E (April 2007). "2006 Canadian clinical practice guidelines on the management and prevention of obesity in adults and children summary". CMAJ (Practice Guideline, Review). 176 (8): S1–13.

[3]Llarena M, Andrade F, Hasnaoui M, et al. Potential renoprotective effects of piceatannol in ameliorating the early-stage nephropathy associated with obesity in obese Zucker rats.[J]. Journal of Physiology & Biochemistry, 2015, 72(3):555.

[4]Les F, Deleruyelle S, Cassagnes LE, Boutin JA, Balogh B, Arbones-Mainar JM, Biron S, Marceau P, Richard D, Nepveu F, Mauriège P, Carpéné C. Piceatannol and resveratrol share inhibitory effects on hydrogen peroxide release, monoamine oxidase and lipogenic activities in adipose tissue, but differ in their antilipolytic properties. Chem Biol Interact. 2016 Oct 25;258:115-25.

[5]Pan M H, Tung Y C, Kalyanam N, et al. Piceatannol exerts anti-obesity effect through modulating adipogenic proteins and gut microbiota in C57BL/6 mice[J]. Molecules, 2017, 108(11):1419.

[6]Ran G, Ying L, Li L, Yan Q, Yi W, Ying C, Wu H, Ye X. Resveratrol ameliorates  diet-induced dysregulation of lipid metabolism in zebrafish (Danio rerio). PLoS One. 2017 Jul 7;12(7)

[7]Fernández-Quintela A, Milton-Laskibar I, González M, Portillo MP. Antiobesity  effects of resveratrol: which tissues are involved? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2017 Aug 10.