Pu-erh tea intake enhances the anti-obesity effect of intermittent fasting via modulating follicle-stimulating hormone and gut dysbacteriosis in female high-fat-diet mice

Intermittent fasting (IF) could not work well in females indicating that additional interventions might be necessary to improve outcomes. We here investigated whether Pu-erh tea extract (PTE) intake could enhance anti-obesity effect of IF in female mice and explored the underlying mechanisms. The combination of PTE and IF treated obesity by reducing lipogenesis and enhancing adipose thermogenesis. This combination might decrease follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to reduce FSH-mediated UCP1 inhibition by AMPK/PGC1α/UCP1 pathways, finally promoting adipose thermogenesis. Based on this, we speculated increase of FSH might be a key reason for poor anti-obesity effect in female mice under IF. Besides, this combination modulated the composition of gut microbes (restored Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and improved Akkermansia abundance) by protecting the intestinal barrier, and further promoted the production of SCFAs especially butyrate which might finally induce thermogenesis in adipose. Our results suggested this combination could be an effective strategy to combating obesity for females.