Yoshinobu Matsumoto

Effect of Caffeine on the Body Fat and Lipid Metabolism of Rats Fed on a High-Fat Diet

The intake of caffeine (CF) at 0.025, 0.05 or 0.1% for 21 days progressively reduced the body fat mass and body fat percentage in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats fed on a high-fat diet with increasing administration level. Moreover, CF increased the serum concentrations of catecholamines and free fatty acids in SD rats orally administered with CF (5 mg/kg). These results suggest that the intake of CF reduced body fat by lipolysis via catecholamines. CF has potential as a functional food ingredient with an anti-obesity action.

Body heat responsive gelation of methylcellulose formulation containing betaine

We examined a methylcellulose (MC) formulation that gels at body temperature for enteral alimentation. Betaine was found to have a lowering effect on the gelation temperature of the MC solution. The thermal gelation temperature of a body heat-responsive (BHR) gelling MC formulation, consisting of 2% MC, 15% glucose, 1.2% sodium citrate, and 3.5% betaine mixture, was approximately 32 °C, indicating that it could gel in response to body heat. Glucose release from the BHR gels was delayed at 37 °C in an in vitro study. In rats, oral administration of BHR gelling MC formulation delayed an increase in blood glucose and appearance of 13CO2 in expired air in a 13C-acetate breath test in comparison with the control. These results suggested that the BHR gelling MC formulation was gelled in the stomach and delayed gastric emptying after oral administration and glucose in the gels was absorbed slowly. Graphical abstract A clear viscous liquid of BHR gelling MC formulation formed a cloudy soft gel after incubation (5 min, 37 °C), indicating that the formulation would form a gel at body temperature.