Green tea supplementation upregulates uncoupling protein 3 expression in severe obese women adipose tissue but does not promote weight loss

Abstract

This study aims (i) to verify expression of the UCPs, PLIN1, PPARG2, and ADRB3 genes in the abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue of obese women at baseline and after 8 weeks of supplementation with decaffeinated green tea extract, and (ii) to associate findings with clinical parameters. This is a longitudinal study during which 11 women with obesity grade III were submitted to supplementation with 450 mg of (–)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) (intervention group); the control group consisted of 10 eutrophic women. Anthropometric parameters [weight, height, and body mass index (BMI)], resting metabolic rate (RMR, measured by indirect calorimetry), and gene expression (measured by real-time PCR, RT-qPCR) were determined before and after supplementation. After 8 weeks, clinical parameters and UCP1, PLIN1, PPARG2, and ADRB3 expression remained unaltered in the intervention group (p > .05). Genetic analysis also showed that the UCP3 gene was upregulated (p = .026), but its upregulation did not promote weight loss.

Keywords:

• Catechin
• green tea
• UCP3
• obesity
• nutrigenomics

Acknowledgements

Authors thank Wilson A Silva Junior for expert assistance.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards and was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Clinical Hospital of Ribeirao Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil (CAAE: 30247414.6.0000.5440).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The authors wish to thank the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), grants #2014/00669-0 and #2013/08916-4. They also thank Wilson A Silva Junior for expert assistance.