Quercetin Lowers Leptin and Colon Cancer Risk

Obesity is a significant risk for developing colon cancer.  A new animal study shows that quercetin¹ was able to offset leptin resistance while at the same time preventing changes in the colon that lead to cancer.

The experiment used the leptin receptor lacking db/db mice, which become obese and diabetic because they build up so much leptin in their blood as they have no leptin receptors to answer the leptin phone call.  These mice were exposed to a toxin that is known to produce lesions in the digestive tract that eventually become colon cancer.

Quercetin showed a powerful ability to prevent the formation of lesions as well as cancerous activity within them.  At the same time quercetin actually lowered leptin production, which is rather amazing when you consider this mouse strain is forced to keep making excess leptin.  It was found that quercetin directly interacted with fat cells in white adipose tissue to decrease leptin production.

In my earlier article, Quercetin: A Rising Star for Nerves, Immunity, and Metabolism, I explained a number of studies indicating that quercetin can help with weight management for a variety of reasons.  This new study adds two more great reasons to have quercetin on your weight loss team.