A recent study found that hibiscus flower extract may work without any of the side effects of weight loss drugs, as an aid to losing excess weight by eliminating fat. Following up on previous studies, scientists at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) extracted antioxidant compounds known as phenols and hydroxycitric acid from hibiscus flowers.
The International Journal of Food Science and Technology published a study in which separate batches of human stem cells were treated with either a phenolic extract or hydroxycitric acid, before stimulating them to transform into fat cells.
While the acid appeared to have no effect on fat cells, fat cells derived from stem cells treated with phenol were found to contain 95% less fat than a control group of untreated cells. RMIT scientists found that the phenolic extract works by inhibiting the activity of a digestive enzyme called lipase.
The enzyme lipase normally breaks down ingested fat into smaller fragments that can be absorbed through the walls of the intestine. Excess fat, which the body does not need for energy, is quickly stored in fat cells.
The Australian scientists concluded that by preventing lipase from doing its job, hibiscus phenols allow these fats to simply pass through the digestive tract, thus breaking down fats and causing weight loss.