On 10/1/2013 9:19 AM, Ellen K. wrote:
> This is very interesting. I eat almonds frequently and fennel (called
> anise here) when it's not too expensive. Wonder if a melatonin
> supplement would also help?
>

Probably, but salads with Goji berries, almonds, sunflower seeds,
cardamom, fennel, coriander and cherries would probably help more.
And taste better, probably.

Don Roberto


> > wrote in message
> ...
>> Melatonin Controls Weight Gain by Stimulating 'Beige Fat'
>>
>> Wed, 09/25/2013
>>
>> Spanish scientists have discovered that melatonin consumption helps
>> control weight gain because it stimulates the appearance of ‘beige
>> fat,’ a type of fat cell that burns calories in vivo instead of
>> storing them.
>> Spanish scientists have discovered that melatonin consumption helps
>> control weight gain because it stimulates the appearance of ‘beige
>> fat,’ a type of fat cell that burns calories in vivo instead of
>> storing them.
>> Spanish scientists are the first to reveal the previously unknown
>> enigma of the effect melatonin has to counter obesity in the organism
>> and why it has metabolic benefits in treating diabetes and
>> hyperlipidemia.
>>
>> Melatonin is a natural hormone segregated by the body and melatonin
>> levels generally increase in the dark at night. It is also found in
>> fruit and vegetables like mustard, Goji berries, almonds, sunflower
>> seeds, cardamom, fennel, coriander and cherries.
>>
>> Spanish scientists have discovered that melatonin consumption helps
>> control weight gain because it stimulates the appearance of "beige
>> fat," a type of fat cell that burns calories in vivo instead of
>> storing them. White adipose tissue stores calories leading to weight
>> gain whereas "beige fat" (also known as "good or thinning fat") helps
>> regulate body weight control, hence its metabolic benefits.
>>
>> In the Journal of Pineal Research, scientists from the University of
>> Granada Institute for Neuroscience, the Hospital Carlos III, Madrid,
>> and the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio (USA)
>> have revealed, for the first time, the previously unknown enigma of
>> why melatonin has metabolic benefits in treating diabetes and
>> hyperlipidemia.
>>
>> In earlier publications, the researchers analyzed the effects of
>> melatonin on obesity, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure and type 2
>> diabetes mellitus associated with obesity in young obese diabetic
>> Zucker rats— an experimental model of metabolic syndrome.
>>
>> In view of their most recent results, it seems the key lies in the
>> fact that chronic melatonin consumption not only induces the
>> appearance of "beige fat" in obese diabetic rats, but also increases
>> its presence in thin animals used as a control group. "Beige fat"
>> cells are found in scattered lentil-sized deposits beneath the
>> inguinal skin in obese diabetic Zucker rats.
>>
>> Melatonin is a natural hormone segregated by the human body itself and
>> melatonin levels generally increase in the dark at night. It is also
>> found in small quantities in fruit and vegetables like mustard, Goji
>> berries, almonds, sunflower seeds, cardamom, fennel, coriander and
>> cherries. These findings, together with the pharmacologically safe
>> profile of melatonin, mean it is a potentially useful tool both in its
>> own right and to complement the treatment of obesity. Sleeping in the
>> dark and consuming these foodstuffs could help control weight gain and
>> prevent cardiovascular diseases associated with obesity and dyslipidemia.
>>
>> The study—coordinated by University of Granada lecturer Ahmad
>> Agil—showed that chronic administration of melatonin sensitizes the
>> thermogenic effect of exposure to cold, heightens the thermogenic
>> effect of exercise and, therefore, constitutes excellent therapy
>> against obesity. The fact is that one of the key differences between
>> "beige fat," which appears when administering melatonin, and "white
>> fat," is that "beige fat" cell mitochondria express levels of UCP1
>> protein, responsible for burning calories and generating heat.
>>
>> The study—authored by Aroa Jiménez-Aranda, Gumersindo
>> Fernández-Vázquez, Daniel Campos, Mohamed Tassi, Lourdes
>> Velasco-Perez, Tx Tan, Russel Reiter and Ahmad Agil has been
>> part-financed and supported by the Granada Research of Excellence
>> Initiative on BioHealth (GREIB), the University of Granada
>> Vice-Rectorate for Scientific Policy and Research, and the regional
>> government of Andalusia research group CTS-109.
>>
>> Given the importance of this discovery, the researchers are confident
>> they will obtain the funding needed to continue their work “and be
>> able to achieve their final objective: to confirm these findings in
>> humans, by administering melatonin to help combat obesity and
>> diabetes," says principle researcher Agil.
>>
>> Source: University of Grenada
>