It's normal to associate licorice intake with extra calories and not quite the perfect road to fat loss success.
But when taken correctly it could be very beneficial for you!
Further to some previous work with similiar findings in 2009 (1), a different team of researchers have again began to investigate licorice and the successful reduction of body fat.
And the good news is, these latest findings also support a positive effect of licorice flavonoid oil in the reduction of fat, particularly in the elderly (2).
Licorice and Fat Loss
In this research all participants were undergoing rehabilitation treatment for knee osteoarthritis.
7 males and 43 females, (54-90 years) were examined, with none having sarcopenia or any health problems.
They were randomised "within the strate of sex, age and muscle mass" and put into two groups:
LFO group: Consumed capsules containing 300mg of LFO per day after meals for 16 weeks
Placebo group: Consumed placebo capsules daily for 16 weeks.
Let's bring in the researchers:
"Participants were directed not to change their lifestyles during this trial, and [the scientists] confirmed this by monitoring their daily study diaries. All participants undertook nearly the same type of mild exercise, with eight participants of the LFO group and ten of the placebo group using ergometer exercise and the other participants undertaking even milder exercise. Between the groups, there was no significant difference in the intensity of their exercise."
Statistical analysis was performed for each measurement at five time points (week 0 = baseline, week 4, week 8, week 12, and week 16) during the intervention period.
So what did they find?
Trunk fat percentage decreased only in the older subjects.
The effect in the younger subjects was still there, but it was non-significant. And this may have been due to the smaller amount of younger subjects, so more research is undoubtedly needed.
However, the results are promising not only in this study, but in previous others.
But then there was the other finding...
Licorice and Muscle Growth?
There was a significant increase in muscle mass in the LFO group (+0.38 kg), which is certainly better than nothing!
Furthermore, the "body trunk fat percentage of the LFO group were significantly suppressed compared to that of the placebo group (P = 0.03, P < 0.01) respectively."
The researchers leave us with:
"This trial indicates that LFO supplementation has effects on increasing muscle mass and on suppressing the body fat percentage of elderly populations, especially in the body trunk."
So if you're a personal trainer with elderly clients, or in this age bracket yourself and want to make some positive body composition changes to compliment your training - then maybe some licorice flavonoid oil might be worth giving a go.
I want to point out that normal supermarket licorice will not suffice - for the right dosage it needs to be licorice flavonoid oil.
It certainly won't hinder any progress!
"Stay Fit, Stay Flexed!"
References
(1) Tominaga Y, Nakagawa K, Mae T, Kitano M, Yokota S, Arai T, Ikematsu H, Inoue S. Licorice flavonoid oil reduces total body fat and visceral fat in overweight subjects: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2009 Aug;3(3):I-IV. doi: 10.1016/j.orcp.2009.04.005.
(2) Kinoshita, Tetsu, et al. "The Effects of Licorice Flavonoid Oil on Increasing Muscle Mass: A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Trial." Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2016).
Author
Dayne Hudson