Does Ursolic acid have weight loss benefits?

Yes, the current study suggests that ursolic acid (UA) significantly ameliorates the progression of obesity. In a study exploring the regulatory effects of UA in obese mice from the perspective of gut microbiome and metabolomics analysis. The results showed that UA intervention could change the ratio of the thick-walled phylum to the anaplasma phylum at the portal level and increase the genera Lactobacillus, Anaplasma, and Ackermannia. In addition, metabolomics analyses showed that the beneficial effects of UA on obesity were partially dependent on amino acid metabolism. This study confirms the potential therapeutic role of UA in ameliorating diet-induced obesity in humans.

In another animal study, ursolic acid was also shown to increase skeletal muscle, brown fat and energy expenditure in a diet-induced obesity mouse model. These effects were associated with increased strength and exercise capacity, decreased obesity, improved glucose tolerance, and decreased hepatic steatosis, and suggest ursolic acid as a potential treatment for obesity and obesity-related diseases.

In summary, ursolic acid has been shown to be useful for weight loss, but there is a lack of sufficient clinical data to support this, and continued research is needed in terms of its safety and efficacy.

References

[1] CHUNFENG TIAN. Ursolic acid ameliorates obesity of mice fed with high-fat diet via alteration of gut microbiota and amino acid metabolism.[J]. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2023. DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1183598.

[2] STEVEN D KUNKEL. Ursolic acid increases skeletal muscle and brown fat and decreases diet-induced obesity, glucose intolerance and fatty liver disease.[J]. PLoS ONE, 2012: e39332. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0039332.