Anti-Obesity Effects of Pear Extract (Pyrus pyrifolia): Clinical Implications and Therapeutic Potential

Abstract

Mitigating obesity is a pivotal strategy for addressing metabolic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, liver diseases, and diabetes. Although pear extract exhibits various pharmacological effects in regenerative diseases, such as skin, nerve, and adipose tissue dysfunction, by eliminating excessive reactive oxygen species, its exact clinical role in obesity has not been well studied. In this study, we investigated the efficacy and safety of pear extract (UPhenon (R)), a dietary ingredient extracted from unripe pear (Pyrus pyrifolia), in Korean participants with obesity. The participants underwent a 12-week, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Body fat mass, body weight, body mass index (BMI), and hematological and blood chemistry parameters were assessed. No adverse effects or significant changes were observed in the supplementation or placebo groups. Additionally, the two groups did not differ significantly in body fat mass, body weight, BMI, hematological parameters, or blood chemistry parameters, except for the liver-specific enzyme, aspartate aminotransferase. Interestingly, compared with the supplementation and placebo groups, after 12 weeks of pear extract administration, a significant decrease in aspartate aminotransferase levels was recorded, indicating that pear extract partially attenuates obesity-induced liver damage. Furthermore, when compared with baseline measurements, a significant reduction in body fat mass (-802.61 +/- 1,460.82 g, p<0.0007), body weight (-1.28 +/- 1.29 kg, p<0.0001), and BMI (-0.46 +/- 0.46 kg/m(2), p<0.0001) was observed after 12 weeks of pear extract administration. Taken together, our results suggest that pear extract supplementation may effectively reduce obesity without adverse effects and it may be a promising alternative to synthetic anti-obesity drugs.