Prickly pear weight loss
The plant Opuntia ficus indica or prickly pear grows worldwide in frost-free, dry areas but originates from Mexico. At the end of the 17th century, the plant was spread around the Mediterranean coast by Spanish settlers. The fleshy plant can grow up to 5 metres high and has round discs, covered with warty cushions and thorns, like leaves. The fruit, the prickly pear, is pear-shaped with typical black seeds and is harvested from July to December.
Prickly pear weight loss – other uses
The plant is simply used as a hedge in many regions. But commercially, the fruit and the fibrous leaf discs also have applications in (animal) nutrition, as a cosmetic ingredient and various medicinal properties are assigned to the plant. The leaf discs, without the thorns, are often found in Mexican cuisine where they are cooked as vegetables. In folk medicine the leaf discs, also called cladodes, were ground and added to wound healing creams or used as a remedy for diabetics.
Prickly pear weight loss – science
The leaf discs are rich in water-soluble fibres, minerals (including potassium and calcium), vitamins and polyphenols. Because of the high concentration of fibres (polysaccharides) the cladodes of the prickly pear cactus are a frequent subject in scientific studies. In addition to anti-diabetic properties, the extract also has cholesterol-lowering and anti-obese properties. For example, there are several clinical studies where the volunteers follow a diet supplemented by either cactus fig extract or an identical looking placebo (control group).
Analysis of the stool of the volunteers who took the extract contained more fats than that of the control group. This can be explained by the fact that the fibres of the prickly pear have lipophilic properties (are attracted to fat) and in the small intestine they bind with fats we ingest through our diet. This interaction changes the fats into large and complex molecules. They are too big to be digested and absorbed by the small intestine. As a result, less fats from our diet reach the blood or adipose tissue and more of it leaves the body through the bowel movement.
The positive effect of the cladodes extract on the metabolic X syndrome was also investigated. This X-syndrome is a diagnosis that is based on 5 criteria: increase in blood pressure, blood sugar level, waist circumference, LDL-triglyceride level and reduced HDL cholesterol. The combination of these symptoms significantly increases the risk of heart failure and cardiovascular disease. During a 6-week study, 59 women with a BMI between 25 and 40 were followed up for these symptoms. At the end of the study, X-syndrome was no longer found for 39% of the women who had taken the extract.
- R. Uebelhack et al, “Effects of cactus fiber on the excretion of dietary fat in healthy subjects: a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical investigation”, Current therapeutic research 76(2014)39-44
- E. Linares et al, “The effect of NeOpuntia on blood lipid parameters–risk factors for the metabolic syndrome (syndrome X)”, Adv Ther. 2007 Sep-Oct;24(5):1115-25
- B. Grube et al, “A natural fiber complex reduces body weight in the overweight and obese: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study”, Obesity, volume 21, no1, jan 2013
- J. Tous and L. Ferguson, “Mediterranean fruits”, p416-430
- E.M. Galati et al, “Effect of Opuntia ficus-indica (L;) Mill Cladodes in the wound healing Process”, J.PACD-200