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Effects of Agave fructans (Agave tequilana Weber var. azul) on Body Fat and Serum Lipids in Obesity

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Abstract

Obesity affects millions of people worldwide, constituting a public health problem associated with premature mortality. Agave fructans decrease fat mass, body and liver weight, and generate satiety in rodents. In the present study the effects of agave fructans on weight control, lipid profile, and physical tolerability were evaluated in obese people. Twenty-eight obese volunteers were randomly divided into two groups. In the first group, 96 mg/bw of agave fructans was administered for 12 weeks; in the second group, maltodextrin as a placebo was administered for 12 weeks. All participants consumed a low-calorie diet of 1500 kcal/day. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements were taken at baseline and at the end of the study. The body mass index (BMI) of the agave fructans treated group was reduced significantly from the baseline to the final measurements. Hip and waist circumferences decreased statistically in both groups. A decrease of 10% in total body fat was observed in the agave fructans treated group, resulting in a statistically significant difference in the final versus baseline measurements between the Agave fructans treated group and the placebo treated group. Triglycerides were reduced significantly in the agave fructans treated group. Glucose values did not change in either group. Agave fructans intake was safe and well tolerated throughout the study. The results showed that the ingestion of agave fructans enhanced the decrease in BMI, the decrease in total body fat, and the decrease in triglycerides in obese individuals who consume a low-calorie diet.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Andrew Schmaus and Marcia M Craig from The University of Alberta for their contribution on this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Centro de Investigación y Asistencia en Tecnología y Diseño del Estado de Jalisco, A.C. (CIATEJ), Normalistas 800, 44270, Guadalajara, State of Jalisco, Mexico

    Eduardo Padilla-Camberos, Carla P. Barragán-Álvarez & Nestor E. Diaz-Martinez

  2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, 474 Medical Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada

    Vineet Rathod & José Miguel Flores-Fernández

  3. División de Ingeniería en Industrias Alimentarias e Innovación Agrícola Sustentable, Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Villa Guerrero, Highway Toluca-Ixtapan de la Sal, Km 64.5, La Finca, 61763, Villa Guerrero, State of Mexico, Mexico

    José Miguel Flores-Fernández

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  1. Eduardo Padilla-Camberos
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  2. Carla P. Barragán-Álvarez
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  3. Nestor E. Diaz-Martinez
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Correspondence to José Miguel Flores-Fernández.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1975 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

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Padilla-Camberos, E., Barragán-Álvarez, C.P., Diaz-Martinez, N.E. et al. Effects of Agave fructans (Agave tequilana Weber var. azul) on Body Fat and Serum Lipids in Obesity. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 73, 34–39 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-018-0654-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-018-0654-5

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