Argenine, an amino acid present in Watermelon juice may fight obesity, according to U.S. researchers.
The study published in the Journal of Nutrition, explains that rats who were either fed low-fat or high-fat diet supplements containing the amino acid Arginine over a 12-week period, saw more than 60% reduction in body fat.
The study indicates that Arginine may promote lean tissue growth. Long-term administration of Arginine did not have any adverse effects, either.
This finding can be directly linked to human obesity. The study lead, Guoyao Wu of A&M University, College Station, Texas, said that if Arginine has not been incorporated into our diet until now, it could be done so, from now.
Given the current epidemic of obesity worldwide, this finding would be very helpful, Wu added.
According to Wu, dietary Arginine supplementation reduces growth of fat and increases muscle gain, without affecting body weight. Arginine also has other metabolic benefits, such as stimulation of the biochemical process of muscle protein synthesis, and reducing serum concentrations of branched-chain amino acids, as high levels of branched-chain amino acids are linked to insulin resistance.
Other Arginine-rich foods include seafood, nuts, algae, seeds, rice protein concentrate, and soy protein isolate.
Tags: Arginine