Oil extracts from the seeds of bitter melon (Momordica charantia) could aid in weight loss, research from China demonstrates. The study, which was published in the Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism, also looked at the potential of bitter melon seed oil in restoring the balance between lipid intake and metabolism.

• Researchers from the Hefei University of Technology and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences obtained the bitter melon seed oil using a process called supercritical extraction.
• A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that the extract contained 42.60 percent of conjugated linolenic acid (CLnA, cis9, trans11, trans13-18:3) and 13.7 percent of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, cis9, trans11-18:2).
• The oil extract was then used in vivo experiments involving mice that were fed a high-fat diet. The mice were separated into four groups, with three receiving differing amounts of bitter melon seed oil and the remaining one serving as a control group. Each group was given the following amounts: one gram per kilogram of body weight (g/kg), 5 g/kg, and 10 g/kg, respectively.
• After three weeks, the body weight and length of the mice were recorded, and the fat pads in the adipose capsule (perirenal) and the epididymis were harvested.
• Based on the results, mice that were supplemented with bitter melon seed oil has a decrease in the body weight and fat tissue size.

Researchers deduced that bitter melon seed oil, with its anti-obesity property, could be used to regulate lipid metabolism and leptin.

Find the full text of the study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Xu L, Xu Y, Wang S, Deng Q, Wu CY, Chen XT, Wang HL. NOVEL BITTER MELON EXTRACTS HIGHLY YIELDED FROM SUPERCRITICAL EXTRACTION REDUCE THE ADIPOSITY THROUGH THE ENHANCED LIPID METABOLISM IN MICE FED A HIGH FAT DIET. Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism. December 2016;6:26–32. DOI: 10.1016/j.jnim.2016.04.002