Lipid metabolism in trained rats: effect of guarana (Paullinia cupana Mart.) supplementation.
OBJECTIVE
Guarana is widely consumed by athletes, either in supplements or in soft drinks, under the belief that it presents ergogenic and "fat burning" effects. We examined the effect of guarana supplementation (14 days) upon aspects of lipid metabolism in sedentary (C) and trained rats (T).


METHODS
To isolate the effect of caffeine from that of other components of guarana, we adopted two different doses of whole extract (G1-0.130 g/kg; G2-0.325 g/kg) or decaffeinated extract (DG1, DG2). Body weight, food and water intake; muscle fat content, oleate incorporation, glycogen content, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) activity and mRNA expression; along with plasma lactate concentration, were assessed.


RESULTS
Muscle oleate incorporation was decreased in rats receiving decaffeinated guarana in relation to G1 and G2; as was CPT I mRNA expression in the gastrocnemius. Whole extract supplementation, but not DG induced reduced plasma lactate concentration in trained rats. G1 showed higher muscle glycogen content compared with all other groups. The results show an effect of guarana on aspects of lipid metabolism, which is abolished by decaffeination.


CONCLUSIONS
The changes in lipid metabolism of supplemented rats herein reported are associated with the methylxanthine content of guarana.
Lima
Waldecir P
WP
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 1524, São Paulo, SP, CEP 05508-900, Brazil.
Carnevali
Luiz C
LC
Eder
Robson
R
Costa Rosa
Luis Fernando B P
LF
Bacchi
Elfriede M
EM
Seelaender
Marília C L
MC
D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006003:Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D019301:Oleic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D032126:Paullinia / Q000737:chemistry*; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014970:Xanthines / Q000494:pharmacology*
D010936:Plant Extracts; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014970:Xanthines; C008514:methylxanthine; D019301:Oleic Acid; D002110:Caffeine; D006003:Glycogen