Vitamin may play key role in weight loss, new study finds

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Vitamins. We need them to keep our immune system healthy and strong. One vitamin specifically may also play another role, helping people to lose weight.

Researchers out of Japan found vitamin E can aid in weight loss because it contains what’s known as antioxidants. Antioxidants are responsible for removing potentially damaging agents in the body such as fat tissue and bad cholesterol.

Researchers conducted the study on mice and followed them for 13 weeks. One group was fed a high fat diet. Another group was also fed a high fat diet, but was also given vitamin E in their diet. The third group had no change in their diet.

They found the mice that were fed the high fat diet alone put on gained weight while the group who ate a high fat diet plus vitamin E significantly lowered their weight. Their cholesterol levels also dropped.

Authors do say a healthy diet and exercise are the first line of defense against obesity. These findings show it might be helpful to develop drugs that can treat obesity that have antioxidant properties like those in vitamin E.