Mexican Ornamental Shown To Prevent Obesity

Thevetia peruviana/yellow oleander seed has been suggested to help reduce weight and shows potential as a more natural treatment for obesity than drugs or surgery by a study published in the African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines.

Researchers from Mexico and Argentina examined the effect of the different extracts for yellow oleander on MSG induced obesity in mice. Yellow oleander was used as the plant seeds have been widely used in traditional Mexican medicines for weight reduction.

MSG induced obese mice were orally given the different yellow oleander extracts for 7 weeks. Chemical analysis was carried out to identify chemical compounds in yellow oleander extracts which found 8 low polarity compounds in the extracts, out of all of the extracts used hexanic extract of yellow oleander yielded the best results. Oral administration of hexanic extract was observed to reduce weight gain by up to 24.1%, display good response to glucose tolerance testing, prevented development of insulin resistance, and significantly increased serum adiponectin levels. Based on findings the team concluded yellow oleander could help to reduce weight gain without causing insulin resistance.

To prevent weight gain and avoid becoming overweight/obese it is suggested to eat a healthy well balanced diet, get enough physical activity, avoid being sedentary, get enough sleep, and learn to manage stress.