Body Recomposition Effects of Long-Term Glycyrrhizin Consumption in Nonobese Individuals: From the Clinic to the Bench

doi:10.1021/acsptsci.5c00120

. 2025 Jul 15;8(8):2536-2547.

doi: 10.1021/acsptsci.5c00120. eCollection 2025 Aug 8.

Body Recomposition Effects of Long-Term Glycyrrhizin Consumption in Nonobese Individuals: From the Clinic to the Bench

Yang-Ching Chen^{1

2

3

4

5}, Yu-Cih Huang³, Yu-Jie Cheng³, Jessika Woo Kar Man³, Rong-Hong Hsieh³, Shih-Yuan Hsu², Yue-Hwa Chen^{3

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Family Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan.
² Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
³ School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
⁴ Graduate Institute of Metabolism and Obesity Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
⁵ Nutrition Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
⁶ School of Food Safety, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
⁷ Research Center of Food Safety Inspection and Function Development, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.

PMID: 40810149
PMCID: PMC12340619 (available on 2026-07-15)
DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.5c00120

Body Recomposition Effects of Long-Term Glycyrrhizin Consumption in Nonobese Individuals: From the Clinic to the Bench

Yang-Ching Chen et al. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci. 2025.

. 2025 Jul 15;8(8):2536-2547.

doi: 10.1021/acsptsci.5c00120. eCollection 2025 Aug 8.

Authors

Yang-Ching Chen^{1

2

3

4

5}, Yu-Cih Huang³, Yu-Jie Cheng³, Jessika Woo Kar Man³, Rong-Hong Hsieh³, Shih-Yuan Hsu², Yue-Hwa Chen^{3

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Family Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan.
² Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
³ School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
⁴ Graduate Institute of Metabolism and Obesity Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
⁵ Nutrition Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
⁶ School of Food Safety, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
⁷ Research Center of Food Safety Inspection and Function Development, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.

PMID: 40810149
PMCID: PMC12340619 (available on 2026-07-15)
DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.5c00120

Abstract

Non-nutritive sweeteners are used for obesity management, but their benefits and risks are unclear. Artificial sweeteners may harm cardiovascular health, while natural sweeteners like glycyrrhizin offer potential benefits. This study examined long-term glycyrrhizin consumption's effects on body composition in adolescents and mice, comparing obese and normal-weight individuals and exploring underlying mechanisms. Data from the Taiwan Pubertal Longitudinal Study (TPLS) (n = 1641) were analyzed, and experiments with C57BL/6 mice and 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were conducted. Higher glycyrrhizin consumption correlated with lower body fat and higher fat-free mass in adolescents, especially nonobese individuals. In mice, glycyrrhizin supplementation reduced adipose tissue weight and serum leptin and cholesterol levels and increased muscle weight and MyoG mRNA expression. Cell experiments showed that glycyrrhizin inhibited adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation in preadipocytes. The mechanism involved reduced expression of mRNAs such as C/EBPα, GLUT4, leptin, and adiponectin. Glycyrrhizin consumption may reduce adiposity and increase muscle mass in nonobese individuals by inhibiting adipocyte differentiation. These findings suggest that glycyrrhizin influences body composition by reducing fat mass and increasing muscle mass in nonobese individuals, warranting further clinical studies.

Keywords: body fat; fat-free mass; glycyrrhizin; muscle growth; preadipocyte differentiation.

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References

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1. Suez J., Korem T., Zeevi D., Zilberman-Schapira G., Thaiss C. A., Maza O., Israeli D., Zmora N., Gilad S., Weinberger A., Kuperman Y., Harmelin A., Kolodkin-Gal I., Shapiro H., Halpern Z., Segal E., Elinav E.. Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature. 2014;514(7521):181–186. doi: 10.1038/nature13793. - DOI - PubMed
1. Debras C., Chazelas E., Sellem L., Porcher R., Druesne-Pecollo N., Esseddik Y., de Edelenyi F. S., Agaësse C., De Sa A., Lutchia R., Fezeu L. K., Julia C., Kesse-Guyot E., Allès B., Galan P., Hercberg S., Deschasaux-Tanguy M., Huybrechts I., Srour B., Touvier M.. Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. Bmj. 2022;378:e071204. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2022-071204. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[1] Shum B., Georgia S.. The Effects of Non-Nutritive Sweetener Consumption in the Pediatric Populations: What We Know, What We Don’t, and What We Need to Learn. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021;12:625415. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.625415. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[2] Shum B., Georgia S.. The Effects of Non-Nutritive Sweetener Consumption in the Pediatric Populations: What We Know, What We Don’t, and What We Need to Learn. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021;12:625415. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.625415. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[3] Azad M. B., Abou-Setta A. M., Chauhan B. F., Rabbani R., Lys J., Copstein L., Mann A., Jeyaraman M. M., Reid A. E., Fiander M., MacKay D. S., McGavock J., Wicklow B., Zarychanski R.. Nonnutritive sweeteners and cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies. CMAJ Can. Med. Assoc. J. 2017;189(28):E929–E939. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.161390. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Azad M. B., Abou-Setta A. M., Chauhan B. F., Rabbani R., Lys J., Copstein L., Mann A., Jeyaraman M. M., Reid A. E., Fiander M., MacKay D. S., McGavock J., Wicklow B., Zarychanski R.. Nonnutritive sweeteners and cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies. CMAJ Can. Med. Assoc. J. 2017;189(28):E929–E939. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.161390. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Laviada-Molina H., Molina-Segui F., Pérez-Gaxiola G., Cuello-García C., Arjona-Villicaña R., Espinosa-Marrón A., Martinez-Portilla R. J.. Effects of nonnutritive sweeteners on body weight and BMI in diverse clinical contexts: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Rev. 2020;21(7):e13020. doi: 10.1111/obr.13020. - DOI - PubMed

[6] Laviada-Molina H., Molina-Segui F., Pérez-Gaxiola G., Cuello-García C., Arjona-Villicaña R., Espinosa-Marrón A., Martinez-Portilla R. J.. Effects of nonnutritive sweeteners on body weight and BMI in diverse clinical contexts: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity Rev. 2020;21(7):e13020. doi: 10.1111/obr.13020. - DOI - PubMed

[7] Suez J., Korem T., Zeevi D., Zilberman-Schapira G., Thaiss C. A., Maza O., Israeli D., Zmora N., Gilad S., Weinberger A., Kuperman Y., Harmelin A., Kolodkin-Gal I., Shapiro H., Halpern Z., Segal E., Elinav E.. Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature. 2014;514(7521):181–186. doi: 10.1038/nature13793. - DOI - PubMed

[8] Suez J., Korem T., Zeevi D., Zilberman-Schapira G., Thaiss C. A., Maza O., Israeli D., Zmora N., Gilad S., Weinberger A., Kuperman Y., Harmelin A., Kolodkin-Gal I., Shapiro H., Halpern Z., Segal E., Elinav E.. Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature. 2014;514(7521):181–186. doi: 10.1038/nature13793. - DOI - PubMed

[9] Debras C., Chazelas E., Sellem L., Porcher R., Druesne-Pecollo N., Esseddik Y., de Edelenyi F. S., Agaësse C., De Sa A., Lutchia R., Fezeu L. K., Julia C., Kesse-Guyot E., Allès B., Galan P., Hercberg S., Deschasaux-Tanguy M., Huybrechts I., Srour B., Touvier M.. Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. Bmj. 2022;378:e071204. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2022-071204. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[10] Debras C., Chazelas E., Sellem L., Porcher R., Druesne-Pecollo N., Esseddik Y., de Edelenyi F. S., Agaësse C., De Sa A., Lutchia R., Fezeu L. K., Julia C., Kesse-Guyot E., Allès B., Galan P., Hercberg S., Deschasaux-Tanguy M., Huybrechts I., Srour B., Touvier M.. Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort. Bmj. 2022;378:e071204. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2022-071204. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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Body Recomposition Effects of Long-Term Glycyrrhizin Consumption in Nonobese Individuals: From the Clinic to the Bench

Affiliations

Body Recomposition Effects of Long-Term Glycyrrhizin Consumption in Nonobese Individuals: From the Clinic to the Bench

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

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