Anti-Obesity Effects of Sticky Japanese Diet (SJD) Assessed by Regulations of Leptin and Adiponectin

Background: Recently, we published a book which describes about the anti-obesity efficacy of the “Nuruneba Diet (Sticky Japanese Diet; SJD)”. Along with the contents of this book, the dried SJD was developed and marketed. When this marketed SJD was fed daily to obese mice, the effect of suppressing weight gain and reducing visceral fat were observed. Furthermore, we evaluated its mechanism for enhancing the leptin production. In this study, we clarify the different effects of SJD on between normal diet mice and high fat diet mice, and its mechanism was investigated focusing on adiponectin and leptin system. Methods: 5-week-old male ICR strain mice were divided as follows: normal diet group (CE-2 group), normal diet and nuruneba (SJD) diet group (CE-2 + SJD group), high-fat diet group (HFD group), high-fat diet and Nuruneba diet it was divided into four groups (HFD + SJD group). Each group, food and water were pre-fed individually for one week and then allowed to free access to food and water for eight weeks. At the end of the treatment period, the visceral fat was collected. The triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were determined from plasma and the expression levels of adipocytokines in visceral fat were measured by PCR. Results: Body weight gain was observed in the HFD group, and significant suppression of body weight gain was observed in the HFD + SJD group from the third week after intake. The visceral fat was significantly increased in the HFD group compared to the CE-2 group, and significant suppression was observed in the HFD + SJD group. The effects on adipocytokines were measured for adiponectin and leptin mRNA expression. In adiponectin, the expression was significantly increased in CE-2 + SJD group compared with CE-2 group. The expression level of leptin was significantly increased in the HFD group compared to the CE-2 group, and that of leptin was significantly suppressed in the HFD + SJD. Conclusion: These results suggest that daily intake of SJD activates adiponectin secretion under normal conditions and has an obesity preventive effect and that obesity is prevented by suppressing leptin resistance in the obese state.