Prevent obesity-related diseases with hooker chive

In Asia, hooker chive (Allium hookeri) is widely cultivated and used as a vegetable and medicine. In a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, researchers found that the leaf extract of hooker chive contains anti-obesity properties. They found that it may help reduce the negative effects of a high fat diet and prevent obesity-related diseases.

The study was conducted by researchers from Dongduk Women’s University and Chosun University in South Korea who looked at the effects of the leaf extract of hooker chive on obesity in mice.

For the study, they randomly divided mice into four groups. One group was fed with a normal diet, another group was fed with a high fat diet only, and the two groups were fed with a high fat diet and treated with either 200 or 400 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of hooker chive leaf extract. The treatment was given once a day for four weeks.

The researchers found that the mice groups treated with hooker chive leaf extract had significantly lower body weight gain and organ tissue weights compared to the untreated mice group. Moreover, the hooker chive leaf extract groups had significantly lower levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and the atherogenic index. The treatment groups also experienced reductions in mRNA levels of liver fatty acid synthase and lipoprotein lipase, unlike the high fat diet group. In addition, the treatment of hooker chive leaf extract greatly reduced the size of the epididymal adipose tissue.

The researchers concluded that consumption of hooker chive leaf may help reduce the negative effects of high-fat diets and prevent obesity-related diseases. (Related: Extra virgin olive oil found to reverse many of the effects of a high-fat diet.)

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What is hooker chive?

Also known as hooker’s onion, hooker chive is a bulbous herb with thick, fleshy roots. In southern China, this plant is cultivated as a food crop. It is also widely used as a garnish in foods in some parts of India. Its flowers, which are hemispheric to spherical in shape, can be used as a garnish on salads, while its linear leaves and cylindrical bulbs can be eaten raw or cooked. The whole plant can be used as an insect repellent.

The plant grows well in light, well-drained soil, placed in a sunny position. The bulbs should also be planted fairly deeply. It also grows well with most plants, especially beet, carrots, chamomile, and roses. However, it hampers the growth of legumes, and is not a good companion for alfalfa because they can negatively affect each other.

What happens when you eat a fatty meal?

Diets composed of fatty foods, such as meat, cheese, butter, dairy, and egg yolks are quite popular, but they come with consequences on health. Therefore, it is important to consider how fatty foods, especially those that come from animal sources, do to your health. Here are some of the dangers of high fat diets.

• High fat diets cause weight gain: To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. However, high fat diets contain fatty foods that have more than twice the calories of protein and carbohydrates, which make it easier to take in excess calories.
• High fat diets cause constipation: Most high fat diets limit the intake of fiber-rich foods like fruits and grains. However, fiber is needed to maintain digestive health, and without it, you are more likely to be constipated and bloated.
• High fat diets cause cardiovascular problems: High fat diets put your heart health at risk as they are typically composed of foods high in saturated fats, such as beef, bacon, and dark-meat poultry. A diet high in saturated fat can significantly increase your cholesterol, which results in a higher risk of heart disease.

Read more news stories about preventing obesity at FightObesity.news.

Sources include:

Science.news

PracticalPlants.org

Livestrong.com