Could Plant Peptides Help Fight Obesity?

Obesity is a serious — and growing — health concern in the United States. A survey conducted between 2017 and March 2020 showed the prevalence of obesity among Americans increased from 30.5% in 1999–2000 to 41.9%.¹

Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce your risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, infertility, and certain types of cancers.

But for many people, losing or maintaining a healthy weight is easier said than done. Conventional anti-obesity medications often have questionable efficacy and undesirable side effects.² Recent research suggests there may be a new tool in our arsenal: bioactive protein peptides.

Bioactive protein peptides are small sequences of amino acids housed within a larger parent protein. Because they’re similar in structure to the hormones and other signaling chemicals in your body, bioactive protein peptides can confer health-promoting effects – including fighting obesity.

Collagen peptide supplements have surged in popularity recently. But some of the most promising anti-obesity protein peptides can be found in plant sources, such as fruits, mushrooms, and legumes. For example, studies show certain plant peptides can increase the breakdown of fat cells, decrease fat accumulation, and induce weight loss.^3,4,5

Experts believe the plant peptides may be able to exert such effects by stimulating your gall bladder to secrete bile acids, modifying your liver’s fat metabolism, or regulating certain hormone receptors in your body.6 Some plant peptides have also been shown to suppress production of low-density lipoproteins (“bad cholesterol”) and promote high-density lipoproteins (“good cholesterol”).⁷

Clinical trials have confirmed the anti-obesity effects of plant peptides, too. In one study, overweight and obese subjects who consumed legume-derived plant peptides had lower weight, fat mass, blood pressure, and oxidative stress.⁸

Could bioactive plant peptides offer targeted relief in our fight against the obesity epidemic? We still have much to learn about plant peptides. Stay tuned as we keep you updated on the latest research!

---

References

¹ Bryan, S., Afful, J., Carroll, M., Te-Ching, C., Orlando, D., Fink, S., & Fryar, C. (2021b). NHSR 158. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017–March 2020 Pre-pandemic Data Files. National Health Statistics Reports. https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc:106273

² Kang, J. G., & Park, C. Y. (2012). Anti-Obesity Drugs: A Review about Their Effects and Safety. Diabetes & metabolism journal, 36(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2012.36.1.13

³ González-Espinosa de los Monteros, L. A., Ramón-Gallegos, E., Torres-Torres, N., & Mora-Escobedo, R. (2011). Effect of germinated soybean protein hydrolysates on adipogenesis and adipolysis in 3T3-L1 cells. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands), 66(4), 355–362. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11130-011-0263-z

⁴ Tsou, M. J., Kao, F. J., Lu, H. C., Kao, H. C., & Chiang, W. D. (2013). Purification and identification of lipolysis-stimulating peptides derived from enzymatic hydrolysis of soy protein. Food chemistry, 138(2-3), 1454–1460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.10.149

⁵ de Campos Zani, S. C., Wu, J., & Chan, C. B. (2018). Egg and Soy-Derived Peptides and Hydrolysates: A Review of Their Physiological Actions against Diabetes and Obesity. Nutrients, 10(5), 549. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10050549

⁶ Maestri, E., Marmiroli, M., & Marmiroli, N. (2016). Bioactive peptides in plant-derived foodstuffs. Journal of Proteomics, 147, 140–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2016.03.048  

⁷ Howard, A., & Udenigwe, C. C. (2013). Mechanisms and prospects of foodprotein hydrolysates and peptide-induced hypolipidaemia. Food Funct., 4(1), 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1039/c2fo30216k  

⁸ Kwak, J., Kim, M., Lee, E. et al. Effects of black soy peptide supplementation on blood pressure and oxidative stress: a randomized controlled trial. Hypertens Res 36, 1060–1066 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/hr.2013.79