CARAWAY seeds reduce body WEIGHT and body FAT

Scientists from Iran and Malaysia examined in a new study the effects of caraway seeds on weight loss and obesity management.

Their results have been published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Journal in 2013.

Obesity – one of the main causes of mortality

Since 1980 and till now, the obesity rate has doubled. Overweight is now the fifth cause of global mortality and the sixth cause of health issues. 

Giving the high rates of obesity prevalence worldwide, seeking safe and natural solutions has become a big concern for many researches.

Caraway seeds – properties and benefits

Caraway is a popular remedy for stomach pain, flatulence, intestinal spasms and gas, due to its high content in essential oils and volatile phenol compounds.

Caraway seeds have antimicrobial, anti inflamatory, antioxidant and anticancer properties.

Traditional medicine uses caraway seeds (Carum carvi) as a natural remedy for appetite and body weight control. Avicenna, the ancient greec physician, advised on eating caraway seeds to lose pounds.

Previous studies have shown a connection between metabolites derived from caraway seeds and a lower incidence of diabetes, dyslipidemia, arterial hypertension, hepatic dysfunction, reproductive disturbances, osteoporosis, cancer, gastrointestinal and inflammatory diseases.

Studies done in vitro and in vivo suggest that these seeds have protective effects on the liver and are safe for human consumption and medicinal uses.

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The study

This current study implied 70 overweight and obese women, physically active, randomly divided in two groups:

• group 1 – recived 30 ml of caraway extract a day:
• group 2 – recieved 30 ml of placebo a day.

Participants have been examined after 3 months of treatment. Researches evaluated the changes occurred in body composition and measured the anthropometric indicators (measurement of different parts of the body and proportions) and the clinic and paraclic variables.

Women who received caraway extract have shown reductions in body weight, body mass index, body fat percentage and waist-hip ratio.

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CONCLUSIONS 

The results of this study suggest that caraway seeds consumption (without other food restrictions) in association with physical activity can be considered a valuable intervention in obesity control among women that wish to lose weight without secondary effects.

Scientists believe that caraway benefits are due to the prebiotic effects of their compounds in the gut. Also, caraway seeds help regulate intestinal microflora (involved in obesity mechanisms), improve digestion and food absorption.

An animal study has shown that caraway seeds exert an anti-obesity action through modulating the gene expression in the body associated with inflammation and adipogenesis (fat production in the body).

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Sources:

1. Mahnaz Kazemipoor, Che Wan Jasimah Bt wan Mohamed Radzi, Majid Hajifaraji, Batoul Sadat Haerian, Mohammad Hossein Mosaddegh and Geoffrey A. Cordell, Antiobesity Effect of Caraway Extract on Overweight and Obese Women: A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial, Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3844184/

2. Lataifas.ro, SEMINȚELE de CHIMEN scad GREUTATEA și GRĂSIMEA corporală la femeile supraponderale: https://lataifas.ro/retete-de-slabit/118534/semintele-de-chimen-scad-greutatea-si-grasimea-corporala-la-femeile-supraponderale/