Zeaxanthin and obesity in fat cells and mice
What it found
In lab-grown fat cells and in obese mice, zeaxanthin reduced fat buildup and body weight gain.
The work was done in cells and animals, not people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Fat cells in the lab
Zeaxanthin lowered the amount of fat inside the cells in a dose-dependent way at 5 to 15 μM, without killing the cells.
Obesity in mice
In mice fed a high-fat diet, zeaxanthin taken by mouth slowed the worsening of obesity and improved dyslipidemia.
Studies in people and animals
How it works
Zeaxanthin lowered the activity of transcription factors and fat-cell-specific genes involved in making fat, in both cells and mice.
Energy metabolism
Zeaxanthin reversed the drop in AMPK phosphorylation caused by MDI in fat cells and by the high-fat diet in epididymal fat tissue, which the authors link to energy metabolism.
Fat tissue changes
The authors report that zeaxanthin reduced fat cell size and fat tissue weight.
What the authors conclude
“These results indicated that zeaxanthin plays anti-adipogenic and anti-obesity roles by inducing AMPK activation, inhibiting lipogenesis, and decreasing intracellular lipid content, adipocyte size, and adipose weight.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that zeaxanthin plays anti-adipogenic and anti-obesity roles by inducing AMPK activation, inhibiting lipogenesis, and decreasing intracellular lipid content, adipocyte size, and adipose weight.
How it was done
Zeaxanthin is a carotenoid already known to have an anti-lipogenesis effect, but the authors say the detailed mechanism behind it is less known.
They tested zeaxanthin on 3T3-L1 fat cells and on C57BL/6J mice made obese with a high-fat diet. The mice received 20 mg per kg by mouth.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These results come from lab-grown fat cells and mice. They can't show what zeaxanthin does in people.
- The mice were given a set dose for a set time, so the findings don't show long-term effects or effects of other doses in people.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Jilin Agricultural University, China
The paper
- Title
- Anti-obesity effects of zeaxanthin on 3T3-L1 preadipocyte and high fat induced obese mice
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Liu M, Liu H, Xie J, et al (2017). Anti-obesity effects of zeaxanthin on 3T3-L1 preadipocyte and high fat induced obese mice. Food & function. doi:10.1039/c7fo00486aPubMed 28848960DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error