Licorice Flavonoid Oil Supplementation Promotes A Reduction Of Visceral Fat In Exercised Rats

BACKGROUND: The beneficial effect of exercise combined with licorice flavonoid oil supplementation on visceral fat was investigated.METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups: control, exercise (Ex), control with licorice flavonoid oil supplementation (LEO), and exercise with licorice flavonoid oil supplementation (ExLFO) groups. The rats in the Ex and ExLFO groups ran on a treadmill (20-degree incline at 20 mimin for 30 min/day) 5 times a week for 7 weeks, and those in the LEO and ExI,FO groups were orally administered with licorice flavonoid oil daily using a feeding needle.RESULTS: Exercise or licorice flavonoid oil supplementation resulted in the reduction of the visceral fat mass and adipocyte size, respectively. In addition, exercise combined with licorice flavonoid oil supplementation more effectively decreased both measures. Exercise alone increased the beta-hvdroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (beta-HAD) and citrate synthase (CS) activities in the coleus and plantaris muscles, and licorice flavonoid oil supplementation alone increased the hepatic carnitine palnutoyl transferase-2 (CPT-2) activity. Furthermore, the combination of exercise and licorice flavonoid oil supplementation enhanced the both muscular beta-HAD and CS activities, and hepatic CPT-2 activity.CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that exercise combined with licorice flavonoid oil supplementation may be effective to decrease visceral adipose tissue via enhancing skeletomuscular and hepatic fatty acids oxidative capacity.