Artichoke for weight loss
Did you know that artichokes can help you lose weight? There are countless slimming products based on artichokes. But how much do we really know about this very common vegetable? What do we know about its real health and slimming virtues?
Here, we profile this – supposedly – excellent weight-loss ingredient, and let you make up your own mind about the effectiveness of the famous artichoke for slimming.
Artichoke data sheet
Scientific name : Cynara Cardunculus
Common names : artichoke, Laon artichoke
Botanical classification : Asteraceae family
Usual forms and preparations : capsules, drinkable ampoules, extract.
Botanical description of the artichoke
Artichoke is a domesticated and cultivated thistle. In fact, artichoke refers to both the whole plant and its edible part, also known as the artichoke head.
The artichoke is a perennial plant, cultivated as a biennial or trisannual. It has an upright, thick, fluted stem that can reach 2 m in height, with large leaves of varying size on the same plant. The edible part of the artichoke is a capitulum, i.e. an inflorescence harvested before the flowers develop. If the plant is allowed to develop, a blue to violet flower forms at the top, or rather an assembly of thousands of tiny flowers that are actually tufts of hairs called aigrettes. At this stage, we all recognize this vegetable as a delicious home-cooked meal. What does artichoke do to lose weight?
Composition and active ingredients of artichokes for weight loss
Polyphenols
These include flavonoids, including flavones and anthocyanidols. Flavonoids and polyphenols are powerful antioxidants, protecting the body from oxidation and cellular aging, as well as from the oxidation of LDL lipoproteins.
Acid-phenols
Acid-phenols are organic compounds, and artichokes contain a familiar acid-phenol: chlorogenic acid, also found in green coffee. Chlorogenic acid regulates blood sugar levels.
Fructans
Fructans are fructose polymers and dietary fibers. Among those present in artichokes is inulin, which has a prebiotic action, promoting the development of bifidobacterium.
Artichokes are also rich in vitamins and minerals. These include niacin, also known as vitamin B3, which plays a role in converting carbohydrates into energy, as well as in regulating cholesterol levels; magnesium, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and regulates blood sugar levels; potassium, which fights hypertension and also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease; and copper, which stimulates natural defenses, has an anti-bacterial action and helps decongest the liver.
Properties and medicinal uses of artichokes
Artichokes have a number of virtues, including the following:
Antioxidant:
These are excellent, according to the ORAC test conducted by the US Department of Agriculture, which states that the edible parts of the artichoke rank ahead of all other vegetables and on a par with red berries (cranberries, blackberries, blueberries). These anti-oxidant properties make artichokes a good ingredient for combating cellular aging, but also for delaying the oxidation of good cholesterol lipoproteins, and activating the oxidation and reduction of bad cholesterol.
Hepatoprotective:
Simply put, artichokes protect the liver. It actually reduces lipid peroxidation and protects liver cells. Cynarin, luteolin-7-0-glucoside and chlorogenic acid may be responsible for this hepatoprotective effect.
Choleretics:
Artichoke stimulates and increases bile secretion by the liver and inhibits cholesterol biosynthesis by the latter. Among other effects, it improves digestion.
Protective for the cardiovascular system:
In addition to its anti-oxidant properties, which act to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, artichoke increases the body’s production of nitric oxide, which helps restore vasomotion and improve blood circulation, thus promoting healthy heart and vessels.
Diuretics :
Artichoke activates urinary and digestive elimination functions. This increases toxin elimination, promotes renal elimination of water, and combats water retention.
Artichoke is also used to treat allergies to plants in the compositae family, such as daisies, asters and chamomile.
Artichokes for slimming: myth or reality?
As we’ve seen, artichokes are very good for your health. But can we go so far as to declare that artichokes for slimming are THE slimming solution?
Artichoke’s diuretic virtues, by boosting the elimination of toxins through natural channels, will certainly promote weight loss. However, we feel it’s important to stress that the weight lost will be water, not fat.
The prebiotic action of artichokes is favorable to weight loss, as these beneficial bacteria are said to reduce appetite and improve digestion.
However, it has to be said that no human studies have yet been conducted to corroborate the weight-loss benefits of artichokes, despite manufacturers’ claims that artichokes are the miracle solution for shedding unwanted pounds.
Precautions, side effects and contraindications of artichokes for weight loss
On the face of it, using artichokes to lose weight represents no health hazard.
As a precautionary measure, we do not recommend any weight-loss supplement for pregnant or breast-feeding women.
Dosage of artichoke for weight loss
It’s hard to say what the optimum dosage is for taking artichoke for weight loss, because although artichoke extracts have clearly shown bioactivity in animal studies, we have no information on dosages suitable for humans, nor on dosages for weight loss (as we remind you, no studies on the subject have been carried out to date).
In this case, our advice is to follow the dosage recommendations given by the manufacturers on the product labels.
Artichoke as a weight-loss aid: yes, but a light one
In conclusion, we can say that using artichokes to lose weight will activate the elimination of toxins and water. You’ll lose weight, a little, but it won’t be stored, encrusted fat, but water, only water.
So you can’t expect to lose weight permanently with artichokes. On the other hand, artichoke for slimming is a perfect accompaniment to an overall slimming program.
