Nowadays, losing weight is a global concern. A lot of people around the world look for suitable and easy ways to lose weight. In comparison with gaining weight, losing weight is more difficult and takes more time.
Various factors lead to obesity, some of them are:
- Lack of activity
- Unhealthy lifestyle
- Eating a lot of fast food
- Consuming sugar and sweet stuff
- Overeating
- Genetics
- Some medications
- Some diseases like hypothyroidism
Based on medical researches, we can naturally lose weight in these ways:
- Manage our stress level
- Get enough sleep
- Eat plenty of fiber
- Cut back on sugar and refined carbohydrates
- Eat protein for breakfast
- Exercise
- Go on a healthy diet
Recently, a growing tendency to herbal remedies for weight loss has emerged. It is proven that some herbs help to lose weight. Licorice is among them.
In this article we try to answer this question:
Does licorice help lose weight?
Licorice Effects on Weight Loss
Some studies show that licorice affect weight loss. Researches show that licorice decreases body fat mass. In one study there were 15 female participants who took 3.5 g licorice per day for 2 months. In these participants, body mass index (BMI) was fixed during this period. ECW (percentage of total body water) increased and body fat mass (BFM) was reduced. Plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone were stopped. This study showed that licorice can reduce fat by inhibiting 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase Type 1 at the level of fat cells. This survey showed that using this amount of licorice reduced body fat by up to 4%. Some researchers say that strong taste in licorice decreases appetite, it makes us to feel full.
Based on an Italian report, eating licorice candies regularly, may reduce the amount of fat. But be careful, because overusing licorice results in high blood pressure and decrease of potassium levels.
One study examined the effect of licorice flavonoids oils (LFO) on reducing fat. During 12 weeks 300mg of LFO was given to participants. The results show LFO is a safe ingredient for functional foods even for long-term or excessive ingestion, with a potential weight-reducing effect.
Moreover, researchers studied the impact of dietary supplementation with licorice root components on diet-induced obesity, fat accumulation and hepatic steatosis in ovariectomized C57BL/6 mice as a menopause model. This study proved that licorice root powder was effective in reducing body weight gain, overall fat deposition, liver steatosis, and expression of hepatic lipid synthesis genes following ovariectomy. It demonstrates that licorice root provides improvement of multiple metabolic parameters under conditions of menopausal low estrogen and high-fat diets without stimulating reproductive tissues.
So, to answer this question that: does licorice help lose weight? We can say yes but if it is used in proper amount and proper way.
Do not overuse licorice. It is not safe for people with heart diseases, high blood pressure, kidney disorders, pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Written by: Sepidan Osareh Jonoob Co.
Editor: Meysam Shokripour
References:
- IranLicorice.com
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322345#science-backed-ways-to-lose-weight
- Madak Erdogan, Zeynep and colleagues. Dietary licorice root supplementation improves diet-induced weight gain, lipid deposition and hepatic steatosis in ovariectomized mice without stimulating reproductive tissues and mammary gland. Published on Mol Nutr Food Res, 2015.
