Effect of pu‐erh tea on body fat and lipid profiles in rats with diet‐induced obesity

Abstract

The antiobesity and antihyperlipidaemic effects of pu‐erh tea in rats with high fat diet (HFD)‐induced obesity were investigated. Male Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups and fed varying diets for an 8‐week period: control diet, HFD, and HFD supplemented with low, moderate or high doses of pu‐erh tea extract (0.5 g, 2 g and 4 g/kg BW/day, respectively). Pu‐erh tea significantly reduced the total body weight and the weight of various adipose pads. Pu‐erh tea administration also significantly lowered plasma total cholesterol, triglyceride concentrations and low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol levels in rats with HFD‐induced obesity, but did not affect high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol levels. Moreover, pu‐erh tea significantly increased lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase and hormone‐sensitive lipase activities in epididymal fat tissue in rats with HFD‐induced obesity. Analysis of real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction results indicated that pu‐erh tea significantly enhanced mRNA levels of hormone‐sensitive lipase in rats with HFD‐induced obesity. These results suggest that pu‐erh tea attenuated visceral fat accumulation and improved hyperlipidemia in a rat model of HFD‐induced obesity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.