A novel study has revealed that chondroitin sulphate supplementation can offer weight management benefits.
The results, which have been published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, found that the nutraceutical could control body weight gain and fat accumulation in obese mice.
These findings supports the sentiment that chondroitin sulphate may be an effective weight management tool for incorporation into dietary supplements and functional foods.
Tackling the obesity crisis
The obesity crisis has become a worldwide problem, one in eight now living with the disease.
Obese individuals are often at high risk for a range of life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease — with treatments for these diseases placing a significant strain on healthcare services globally.
As consumers become aware of the risks of obesity, many are beginning to take a more proactive approach to weight loss; whether that be through prescribed weight loss medications or nutraceuticals.
Chondroitin sulphate has previously been widely applied across the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries as a health-supporting ingredient, though there is little research exploring how supplementation with the ingredient can benefit weight loss efforts.
Therefore, researchers at the Zhang Zhongjing College of Chinese Medicine set out to explore the potential of the cartilage-derived macromolecule in this space.
Chondroitin sulphate shows promise for weight management
The study, which involved seven week old obese mice, assessed how supplementation with chondroitin sulphate could impact weight management factors, including:
- Body weight gain
- Fat accumulation
- Blood and glucose triglyceride levels
- Gut microbiota composition
They found that supplementation with the ingredient could control body weight gain, as well as the accumulation of both perirenal and epididymal fat in obese mice fed a high-fat diet.
Chondroitin sulphate could also significantly reduce blood glucose and triglyceride levels compared with placebo.
They theorised that these effects may be down to the macromolecule’s ability to modulate the gut microbiome, as mice given chondroitin sulphate experienced a reduction in ‘bad’ Desulfobacterota and an increase in ‘good’ Bacteroides.
Qingshan Shen, first author of the study, concluded: “This research provides evidence that supplementing chondroitin sulphate into a high fat diet can effectively control body weight gain, reduce fat storage and influence the structure of gut microbiota.”
“This indicates that it has the potential to serve as a functional ingredient or dietary supplement in foods aims at combatting obesity.”