Annatto carotenoids and inflammation after a high-calorie meal in people
What it found
Norbixin from annatto lowered inflammatory markers and signs of fat oxidation in the blood after a heavy meal in 12 healthy people.
Bixin only partly reduced fat oxidation.
What they found
Studies in people
Inflammation after eating
Norbixin lowered three inflammatory signals in the blood compared to the placebo meal. These drops were seen between 60 and 240 minutes after eating in the 12 people studied.
Fat oxidation markers
Norbixin prevented a rise in one measure of fat damage and lowered oxidised LDL cholesterol after the meal. Bixin only partly prevented the rise in fat damage at 60 minutes in these subjects.
Blood sugar and fats
Neither bixin nor norbixin changed blood sugar, insulin or triglyceride levels after the heavy meal in the people tested.
How the body absorbs them
When people took bixin, both bixin and norbixin appeared in their blood. Taking norbixin directly led to blood levels about 75% higher than when taking bixin, even though the bixin dose was much larger.
Antioxidant enzyme activity
The high-calorie meal raised two natural antioxidant enzymes in the blood. Norbixin led to a greater increase in one of these enzymes at 240 minutes compared to the placebo in the study group.
What the authors conclude
- They found that norbixin did not change blood sugar or fat levels but did lower inflammatory signals and markers of oxidative stress after a heavy meal.
- They suggest that adding norbixin to food might help reduce the short-term inflammatory and oxidative responses linked to heart disease and insulin resistance.
- The authors note that more work is needed to understand exactly how these effects happen in the body.
How it was done
Eating meals high in fat and carbohydrates can trigger short-term inflammation and oxidative stress, which are linked to heart disease and diabetes. The authors wanted to see if annatto carotenoids could reduce these responses in people, since animal studies had shown promise.
Twelve healthy adults (six men and six women) each ate a burger and soft drink on three separate days. One meal had no added carotenoid, one contained bixin at 1.2 mg per kg of body weight, and one contained norbixin at 0.06 mg per kg. Blood samples were taken before eating and at 60, 120 and 240 minutes afterwards.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial looked at just one meal in 12 healthy people, so it cannot show what happens with everyday eating over time.
- The doses used were small fractions of typical daily limits, so the results may not apply to larger amounts.
- Scientists do not yet know the exact way norbixin produces these effects in the human body.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil
The paper
- Title
- Annatto carotenoids attenuate oxidative stress and inflammatory response after high-calorie meal in healthy subjects
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Roehrs M, Conte L, da Silva DT, et al (2017). Annatto carotenoids attenuate oxidative stress and inflammatory response after high-calorie meal in healthy subjects. Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.). doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2017.08.005Free full textPubMed 28873749DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error