A study carried out by scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) and the Almeria group of biotechnology companies Beyond Seeds has found that the consumption of argan pulp has beneficial effects on glucose metabolism and the intestinal microbiota and could be useful in the treatment of metabolic diseases with an oxidative and inflammatory basis such as diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome or intestinal dysbiosis (imbalance of the microorganisms that are part of the intestinal microbiota).
The results of the study have been published in the Journal of Functional Foods and its authors have attributed these healthy properties of argan pulp to its high content of certain bioactive compounds, mainly antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which until now had not been identified.
Experimental trials have shown that consumption of the pulp of this fruit causes a reduction in body weight without reducing food intake, as well as a powerful hypoglycemic activity, in addition to reducing different markers of inflammation and oxidative stress.
Argan pulp to prevent and treat metabolic diseases
The argan tree (Argania spinosa) is endemic to semi-desert areas of southwestern Morocco, whose forests were declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1998. In this area it has been especially used to feed livestock, but internationally it is known above all for the oil that is extracted from its seeds and is used in nutrition and cosmetics.
Different by-products are obtained from argan and specifically from the extraction of oil from its seeds and one of them is the pulp or pericarp of the seed, which constitutes up to 40% of the entire fruit and in which numerous bioactive compounds have been identified. which stand out for their powerful antioxidant action and their potential role in the prevention and treatment of various diseases.
The consumption of argan pulp causes a reduction in body weight without reducing food intake along with a powerful hypoglycemic activity.
Researchers have also found that the consumption of argan pulp has an important prebiotic effect that reduces the presence of potentially pathogenic strains and increases the proliferation of beneficial strains.
The new properties that have been discovered make this product ideal for use in the treatment or prevention of metabolic diseases, such as insulin resistance, obesity or metabolic syndrome, in addition to intestinal dysbiosis, which are characterized by high levels of oxidative stress or inflammation.
