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UCP-3’s Role In Enhancing Fat Oxidation |
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Written by Robbie Durand
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Thursday, 12 February 2009 |
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Page 4 of 5
Olive Oil, Palm Oil And Fish Oils: Potent Stimulators Of UCP-3
UCP-3 is upregulated in situations when fatty acid availability is higher than its oxidation rates— examples would be fasting, treatment for thyroid, high-fat/high-protein diets and intense exercise.8 UCPs are activated much more effectively by palm oil, olive oil and fish oils than by saturated fats. Instead of consuming saturated fats before a competition, you may get leaner by consuming more fish oils and olive oils. Researchers conducted a study to determine what fats led to the greatest increase in UCP. The results were as follow: 1. palmitic acid (palm oil) 2. oleic acid (olive oil) 3. eicosatrienoic acid (omega-3 fatty acid) 4. linoleic acid (safflower and sunflower oils) 5. arachidonic acids (meat, eggs, dairy fats). Palm oil might be another consideration, as palm oil can increase UCP-3 activity as well. It has been shown that palmitic acid led to a 10 percent increase in oxygen consumption. The expression of the UCP-3 gene is approximately doubled by palmitic acid concentrations.24 Another potent stimulator of UCP-3 is olive oil. After the various types of fat, there was an upregulating effect of olive oil on UCP-3 expression in muscle. The expression of the UCP-3 mRNA in muscle was significantly higher after an olive oil feeding than beef fats. Total body oxygen consumption, an index of resting metabolic rate, was significantly higher in rats fed olive oil than other fats tested. 33 The results of the data suggest that palm oil, olive oil and fish oils are better stimulators of UCP-3 production than saturated fats.17 Thus, not all fats are equal and certain types of fats can enhance diet-induced UCP-3 production in muscle.
Blocking Fats Reduce UCP-3 Expression
Clinical data also demonstrate a strong correlation between the amount of circulating fatty acid concentrations and skeletal muscle UCP-3, suggesting fat intake stimulates UCP-3 expression.25 Mingrone and colleagues found a 35 percent reduction in UCP-3 protein levels in subjects having undergone gastric bypass surgery.22 But since gastric bypass surgery minimizes stomach capacity and reduces dietary fat absorption, the drop in fat absorption likely lowered UCP-3 expression in muscle. Additionally, Dr. Civaterese at Pennington Biomedical Research Center has shown that glucose ingestion during exercise lowered UCP-3 expression and other genes involved in fatty acid metabolism.26 The reduced expression of lipid metabolism genes during glucose ingestion during exercise may have been due in part to suppressed lipolysis and a lowering of circulating fatty acids. The new over the counter “fat blocker” drug Alli will probably lead to a reduced expression of UCP-3 I suspect, but no research is available at this time.
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Research and Review 
