Oolong, black and pu-erh tea suppresses adiposity in mice via activation of AMP-activated protein kinase

Yoko Yamashita, Liuqing Wang, Lihua Wang, Yuki Tanaka, Tianshun Zhang, Hitoshi Ashida

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

74 Scopus citations

Abstract

It is well known that tea has a variety of beneficial impacts on human health, including anti-obesity effects. It is well documented that green tea and its constituent catechins suppress obesity, but the effects of other types of tea on obesity and the potential mechanisms involved are not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigated the suppression of adiposity by oolong, black and pu-erh tea and characterized the underlying molecular mechanism in vivo. We found that the consumption of oolong, black or pu-erh tea for a period of one week significantly decreased visceral fat without affecting body weight in male ICR mice. On a mechanistic level, the consumption of tea enhanced the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in white adipose tissue (WAT). This was accompanied by the induction of WAT protein levels of uncoupling protein 1 and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1. Our results indicate that oolong, black and pu-erh tea, and in particular, black tea, suppresses adiposity via phosphorylation of the key metabolic regulator AMPK and increases browning of WAT.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2420-2429
Number of pages10
JournalFood and Function
Volume5
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 24 2014

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Oolong, black and pu-erh tea suppresses adiposity in mice via activation of AMP-activated protein kinase'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this