J Nutrition February, 2009 – SUMMARY  See longer synopses and links after summary.

Just two key findings to share. When studied in rats, the amino acid arginine shifted metabolism to favor muscle gain rather than body fat. And after obese humans got exercise, fat loss was increased when people drank catechins, extracted from green tea.

SYNOPSIS OF ARTICLES THIS MONTH

1. Arginine shifts metabolism to muscle rather than fat gain – Previous studies showed that dietary L-arginine supplementation decreased white fat mass in genetically obese rats…arginine treatment resulted in lower serum concentrations of leptin, glucose, triglycerides, urea, glutamine, and branched-chain amino acids, higher serum concentrations of nitric-oxide metabolites, and improvement in glucose tolerance. Thus, dietary arginine supplementation shifts nutrient partitioning to promote muscle over fat gain and may provide a useful treatment for improving the metabolic profile and reducing body white fat in diet-induced obese rats.

2. Green tea enhances fat loss in obese humans – This study evaluated the influence of a green tea catechin beverage on body composition and fat distribution in overweight and obese adults during exercise-induced weight loss. ..[Participants] receive a beverage containing ~625 mg of [green tea] catechins with 39 mg caffeine…after 3 periods of exercise per week…These findings suggest that green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced changes in abdominal fat and serum serum triglycerides.

I AM SURE GLAD THAT YOU ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU PUT IN YOUR BODY. PLEASE HELP YOUR FRIENDS TO PAY ATTENTION TOO!