Effects of Peanut Skin Extract on Blood Glucose Regulation and Body Fat Reduction

Peanut skins, a by-product of peanut processing industry, is usually discarded as a waste in despite of the high content of phenolic compounds. Polyphenol extract from peanut skins has been demonstrated to inhibit α-amylase activity in vitro. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the regulatory effects of the peanut skin extract on blood glucose and body fat by a double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study. Subjects with simple obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 27 or body fat ≥ 30%) ingested 4 Sugarlock® (n = 16) capsules or placebo (n = 14) a day for a total of 6 weeks. Anthropometric measurements (body weight, body fat, blood pressure) and blood biochemical markers including fasting blood glucose (FBG), albumin, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), HDL-C, LDL-C, creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), AST, ALT were examined every three weeks. Also, 5 subjects were randomly selected for MRI scans to examine the distribution and thickness of abdominal fat layers before and after the trial.