Rhodiola helps against the accumulation of visceral fat! In fact, this plant, which has already been shown to strengthen the body, making it more resistant to stress, and to improve memory, also helps to dissolve abdominal fat and to inhibit the formation of visceral fat cells, which are the cells that will then store fat. This emerges from a research published a few years ago in the journal Molecules by a team from the University of Udine (Pomari et al, Molecules, 2015).
The properties of rhodiola
Rhodiola, scientific name Rhodiola rosea, is a plant known and appreciated for its adaptogenic properties. This means that it strengthens the body, makes it more resistant to stress and contributes to feel less fatigue. Not only that, rhodiola also helps support memory, is neuroprotective, antitumor, antioxidant, cardioprotective and antidepressant. In recent years, scientific studies have also revealed other interesting properties of rhodiola, namely that this remedy helps to keep blood sugar under control. Not only that, a combination of rhodiola and bitter orange extracts was shown to reduce visceral fat by 30% in mice fed a high-fat diet. These latest results, therefore, highlight the possible beneficial action of rhodiola also on visceral fat. To better understand this aspect, researchers from the University of Udine performed an experiment in the laboratory by putting human visceral adipocyte cells in contact with rhodiola extracts.
How rhodiola fights visceral fat
What emerged is that rhodiola has a lipolytic action, that is, it is capable of breaking down stored fats. Not only that, rhodiola also has anti-adipogenic properties. Adipocytes are adipose tissue cells responsible for storing fat. Before becoming adipocytes these cells are present in an immature form and are called pre adipocytes. Well, rhodiola inhibits the transformation of pre adipocytes into adipocytes, thus helping to inhibit the accumulation of visceral fat.
Conclusions
You can find the rhodiola both in the form of a supplement and as a whole root to prepare herbal teas. Rhodiola is part of the popular tradition and as such it has been known and used for centuries, being considered generally safe and without particular side effects. In predisposed people, however, it is possible to experience dry mouth, headache and mild dizziness.
