Diet Rich In Vitamin A Reduces Abdominal Fat In Animal Study

Indian researchers who looked at the impact of dietary vitamin A on the activity of an enzyme that controls glucose metabolism have found that the vitamin reduced abdominal fat and overall body weight in obese rats. The animals in the study were fed either a vitamin A-enriched diet or a standard diet. At the end of the experiment, the researchers found that the vitamin A diet “significantly decreased body weight, visceral fat mass and 11b-HSD1 [the enzyme] activity in visceral fat of the obese rats.” The researchers suggested that further research is needed to understand how 11b-HSD1 activity is regulated by nutrients like vitamin A. The results of that research may lead to development of dietary therapies to prevent obesity and insulin resistance.