Radishes (Raphanus sativus) are a commonly eaten vegetable that is eaten mainly for its succulent root. The greens of the radish plant can also be consumed and there may be nutritional advantages to doing so. Evidence suggests that a polysaccharide fraction of radish greens may have some interesting nutritional properties. In particular, radish greens may have some anti-obesity effects. For example, in one study researchers fed a high fat diet to mice that caused obesity in the animals. Addition of radish greens to the diets of the mice significantly protected them from some of the negative effects of the diet. In particular body weight was reduced in the mice and the fat percentage was also reduced. Tight junction permeability was also changed such that the radish greens significantly reduced tight junction gaps via the upregulation of tight junction proteins. In addition, the radish greens also reduced the up-regulation of lipid proteins and reduced the increase in white adipose tissue volume and cell size.
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