Fighting Obesity's Side Effects: Can Feruloylacetone Help?

Obesity can make muscles weak and resistant to insulin. This is known as sarcopenic obesity, and there's no cure yet besides changing your lifestyle and diet. Feruloylacetone (FER) and demethoxyferuloylacetone (DFER) are compounds found in the breakdown of curcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. They might help fight obesity's effects on muscles and insulin. In a study, mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) lost muscle mass and gained fat in their muscles. But when given FER and DFER, this was reduced. These supplements also boosted muscle growth and protected muscles from breaking down. They even improved how the mice handled sugar, which is a problem in obesity. These supplements also changed the gut bacteria in a good way. They increased the number of helpful bacteria like Blautia intestinalis and Dubosiella newyorkensis. This helped reduce inflammation caused by obesity. This study shows that FER and DFER could prevent obesity from making muscles weak and resistant to insulin. But more research is needed to see if they're safe and work long-term.