In the age of metabolic syndromes and a growing obesity epidemic, there is a great need to address this problem from all aspects. Diet and exercise are undoubtedly the first stop when it comes to weight loss but now new research is showing turmeric could provide a solution when it comes to adipose tissue composition, meaning brown or white adipose tissue composition.
Some research is looking into ways to convert white adipose tissues into brown adipose tissues, called “browning.” Curcumin is now showing to have this effect of an induction of the brown fat-like phenotype. It was also shown to increase mitochondrial biogenesis and enhanced the expression of proteins involved in fat oxidation. These two factors alone make a strong case for curcumin to be considered for the treatment of obesity.
Jameel Lone, Jae Heon Choi, Sang Woo Kim, Jong Won Yun Department of Biotechnology, Daegu University, Kyungsan, Kyungbuk 712-714, Republic of Korea Received: June 29, 2015; Received in revised form: September 1, 2015; Accepted: September 3, 2015; Published Online: September 19, 2015
