Health Benefits Of Guava Leaves For Weight Loss That You Shouldn’t Miss

guava leaves for weight loss

In this article, you are going to learn the health benefits of guava leaves for weight loss.

Numerous studies have shown that guava leaves can help manage and treat some of the common body disorders especially those diseases related to sugar and cholesterol levels. One of such common disorders is excessive weight gain. A study has revealed that guava leaves can be used as an alternative for the control of weight gain.

Read on to find out the health benefits of guava leaves for weight loss while I’m discussing relevant scientific studies.

Want to know more bout guava?  Click here to learn more about the botany of guava and click here to learn more about the health benefits of guava.

And if you want to learn more about the nutritional value of guava click here.

Now, let us look at how guava can contribute to weight loss management with tip #1.

Prevent Hyperglycemia

One of the most causes of weight gain is the uncontrolled taking of foods with a high glycemic index or calories. Taking foods with high calories causes glucose levels to increase in the bloodstream. The increased levels of glucose in the blood are medically called hyperglycemia.

When you take more foods with carbohydrates or sugar content, the high sugar makes your insulin to be converting more glucose into glycogen, which will then be stored in the liver, adipose tissues such as hips, tummy, and face.

As more and more glycogen is stored around these tissues, your body will then begin to gain weight, which later turns to obesity.

The best way to preventing hyperglycemia is by taking low calorie-foods with high fiber content.

And among the naturally blessed foods with fiber and low calories is guava leaves. Guava leaves contain anti-inflammatory agents and antioxidants, which increase your fat-burning engine. This helps destroy excess glycogen and fatty tissues that are not required in the body.

One study reviewed the current studies about the benefits of guava leaves extract where it was found to inhibit alpha-glucosidase enzymes.

Main points: Hyperglycemia is one of the causes of weight gain and using guava leaves extract can help prevent and manage hyperglycemia.

Related: How to use guava leaves for flat tummy

Prevent Insulin Resistance

As more as more glucose is converted into glycogen, time will reach where the insulin will be deactivated due to overworking. This is what is medically called insulin resistance.

This condition (insulin resistance)  causes more and more free glucose to be accumulated in the bloodstream, which in turn leads to the accumulation of water in blood vessels and water retention in blood plasma. This accumulation of large amounts of water can be seen in people as obesity.

According to one study, it was shown that the extract of guava leaves significantly reduced plasma free glucose and prevent insulin resistance in induced diabetic mice.

Another study also showed that guava leaves extract significantly increased glucose metabolism and improve insulin resistance in the skeletal muscles of rats.

You can even make this very effective by combining green tea with guava leaves.

Moreover, this study also showed that high 450mg/kg of guava leaves extract improves significantly insulin sensitivity, glucose intolerance, and serum adiponectin content in diet-induced insulin-resistant mice.

Main points: inulin resistance may help cause excessive weight gain, which can be managed and prevented with the help of guava leaves.

Manage And Prevent Inflammation

Production of inflammatory cytokines was shown to cause increased weight gain.

Several studies have highlighted the clear link between antipsychotic medications, immune system, and weight gain.

For instance, one study has shown a clear correlation between inflammatory cytokines and antipsychotic-induced weight gain.

Another study like this showed the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in obesity. In this study, it was found that physical activity reduced the pro-inflammatory effects of cytokines that were found to be associated with obesity.

On the other hand, guava leaves extract was shown to lower inflammation by inhibiting pro-inflammatory markers such as prostaglandins E2 and nitric oxide.

According to one study, the ethanolic extract of guava leaves significantly suppressed the lipopolysaccharide-induced production of nitric oxide and prostaglandins E2 in a dose-dependent manner.

In another study, it was shown that guava leaves extract is effective in reducing inflammatory edema.

Main points: guava leaves extract can be used to manage inflammation, which was found to be associated with weight gain.

Manage Oxidative Stress

Several observational studies have shown that obese people usually have some high levels of free radicals, altered antioxidants defenses, and increased levels of free inflammatory fat cells.

This study showed a clear relationship between obesity and oxidative stress.

Another study reported that increased oxidative stress caused by kidney transplantation led to increased weight gain.

The Journal of Diabetes also showed a similar correlation or positive relationship between oxidative stress, weight gain, and insulin resistance.

One of the primary ways of reducing and preventing oxidative stress is the supplementation of dietary foods with high antioxidants.

Analysis of guava leaves showed that the leaves are a reservoir of many vitamins, flavonoids, and terpenoids. These are natural antioxidants that are present in most plants.

For instance, this study reported a positive correlation between free radicals scavenging ability of guava leaves extract and the phenolic compounds present in guava leaves.

Main points: guava leaves contain a high amount of antioxidants, which are very helpful in the management of oxidative stress.

Reduce Lipid Peroxidation Products

Extracts of guava leaves were reported to reduce lipid peroxidation in the body. Lipid peroxidation is a type of oxidation where free radicals attack stored lipids thereby causing cell membrane damage.

This reaction causes more free lipid radicals in the body, which later affect the heart and cause heart diseases such as hypertension.

The combined effect of lipid peroxidation later affects the hormonal balance of metabolic disorders and weight gain or increases in body mass.

As discussed earlier, guava leaves are go-to for free radicals scavenging agents commonly known as antioxidants.

Therefore, the use of guava leaves can help prevent lipid peroxidation and improve weight loss.

Main points: weight gain be caused by lipid peroxidation through the increase of free radicals in the body. This can be managed significantly by supplementing with guava leaves due to the antioxidant activity of the leaves.

Control Fatty Liver

Fatty liver was shown to be associated with obesity.

Fatty liver occurs when the rate of fatty acids synthesis in the liver is more than that of fatty acid oxidation and export. This condition causes metabolic errors and poor conversion of glucose into glycogen due to insulin resistance.

This in turn leads to water retention in tissues and blood plasma, which later leads to an increase in body mass.

Guava leaves were also shown to play a major role in alleviating the effects of the fatty liver through increasing fatty acid oxidation and export.

Main points: guava leaves are helpful in preventing fatty liver through improving fatty acid oxidation and export, which in turn prevent body weight gain.

Takeaway

Weight loss management is a long term process and cannot be achieved in one day by only drinking guava leaves tea. However, drinking tea can help greatly in your weight loss journey while managing other diseases like diabetes, cancers, and heart ailment.

Learn how to prepare and use guava leaves for weight loss.

Conclusion

We have discussed the causes of weight loss and the common instances where guava leaves can be used to manage weight loss.

We hope this guide gives you a comprehensive insight in understanding the health benefits of guava leaves for weight loss. So, don’t forget to write to us with your view about this guide in the comment section below.

References

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Jayachandran, Muthukumaran & Vinayagam, Ramachandran & Ambati, Dr. Ranga Rao & Xu, Baojun & Chung, Stephen. (2018). Guava Leaf Extract Diminishes Hyperglycemia and Oxidative Stress, Prevents β -Cell Death, Inhibits Inflammation, and Regulates NF-kB Signaling Pathway in STZ Induced Diabetic Rats. BioMed Research International. 2018. 1-14. 10.1155/2018/4601649.

Deguchi Y, Miyazaki K. Anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of guava leaf extract. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2010;7:9. Published 2010 Feb 2.

Yang Q, Wen YM, Shen J, Chen MM, Wen JH, Li ZM, Liang YZ, Xia N. Guava Leaf Extract Attenuates Insulin Resistance via the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway in Type 2 Diabetic Mouse Model. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2020;13:713-718

Guo X, Yoshitomi H, Gao M, et al. Guava leaf extracts promote glucose metabolism in SHRSP.Z-Leprfa/Izm rats by improving insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013;13:52. Published 2013 Mar 1. 

Wen- Dee Chiang, Ching-Wen Liu, Yi-Cheng Wang, and Chang-Chi Hsieh, 2018. Effects of guava leaf extract on glucose and lipid homeostasis in diet-induced insulin-resistant C57BL/6J mice. July 09-10, 2018 Sydney, Australia |

Fonseka TM, Müller DJ, Kennedy SH. Inflammatory Cytokines and Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain: Review and Clinical Implications. Mol Neuropsychiatry. 2016;2(1):1‐14. 

Schmidt FM, Weschenfelder J, Sander C, et al. Inflammatory cytokines in general and central obesity and modulating effects of physical activity. PLoS One. 2015;10(3):e0121971. Published 2015 Mar 17. 

Brent E. Wisse, 2004. The Inflammatory Syndrome: The Role of Adipose Tissue Cytokines in Metabolic Disorders Linked to Obesity. JASN November 2004, 15 (11) 2792-2800; 

Juncal-Ruiz, M., Riesco-Dávila, L., de la Foz, V.O. et al. The effect of excess weight on circulating inflammatory cytokines in drug-naïve first-episode psychosis individuals. J Neuroinflammation 15, 63 (2018).

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Weni, Linda & Harliansyah, Harliansyah & Widayanti, Widayanti. (2011). Anti-Inflammatory Activity of The Extract of Guava Leaves (Psidium guajava L) in The Rat (Rattus norvegicus L). Indonesian Journal of Cancer Chemoprevention. 2. 169. 

Savini, Isabella & Gasperi, Valeria & Catani, Maria. (2016). Oxidative Stress and Obesity. 10.1007/978-3-319-19821-7_6.

Cho YE, Kim HS, Lai C, Stanfill A, Cashion A. Oxidative stress is associated with weight gain in recipients at 12-months following kidney transplantation. Clin Biochem. 2016;49(3):237‐242.

Hui YinChena, and Gow ChinYenb, 2007. Antioxidant activity and free radical-scavenging capacity of extracts from guava (Psidium guajava L.) leave. Volume 101, Issue 2, 2007, Pages 686-694 

Fabbrini E, Sullivan S, Klein S. Obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: biochemical, metabolic, and clinical implications. Hepatology. 2010;51(2):679‐689.