The story I shared about the woman who extracted oil from Egunsi and then made up her mind never to eat it again was like waking a sleeping dog.
People came out and opened up about their fear of Egunsi. Some even said they had been told that Ogbono has cholesterol, too.
Some people wanted to know why I said running from Egunsi to soya beans is unsafe.
One of the questions I got was, "What is your background? A dietitian or what?"
I understand this reader's plight; he never meant to cast any doubts on my credibility.
I do not have money for the legal fee of a lawyer to defend me on this hot seat, but I am sure science will come to my rescue.
Let us start with Egunsi. Citrullus colocynthis is a species in the family Cucurbitaceae. It bears small, hard fruits with bitter pulp. The seed inside it is Egusi.
Egunsi oil is not fattening; in fact, studies show that it aids weight loss. It does not increase cholesterol in the body either.
In a study titled "Hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects of citrullus colocynthis seeds oil in high-fat diet-induced obese rats" by Meryem Chabane Sari et al., the purpose of the study was to explore the role of the fixed oil of citrullus colocynthis seeds as a natural remedy for obesity.
Wistar rats were subjected to different diets, one being an eight-week high-fat diet that was established to induce obesity in the rats.
The results showed a significant correction in body weight, blood parameters, and, in particular, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), and glycemia.
There was also an improvement in redox status, shown by the significant increase in antioxidant vitamin levels and decrease in malondialdehyde content, as well as an increase in hepatic enzyme activities in Citrullus colocynthis seed oil-treated rats compared to both obese rats and olive oil-treated rats.
The results of this study demonstrated that Citrullus colocynthis seed oil prompted a corrective effect in the antioxidant defence systems, restored insulin sensitivity, and improved lipid profile. The study suggests that this oil is a promising natural tool to combat obesity and its associated complications.
Egunsi oil also shows stronger anti-obesity potential in animal models compared to olive oil. This is a jaw-dropping discovery!
It is also hypolipidemic, meaning it can lower lipid levels in the blood, particularly by reducing total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).
The second one we are talking about is Irvingia gabonensis, in the family Irvingiaceae. This is Ogbono. It is not fattening; in fact, it aids weight loss and does not contain cholesterol.
What science says is that it reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol in the body!
A study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Irvingia gabonensis seeds in the management of obesity. This was carried out as a double-blind, randomised study involving 40 subjects (mean age: 42.4 years).
28 subjects received Irvingia gabonensis (1.05 g three times a day for one month), while 12 were on a placebo on the same schedule.
During the one-month study period, all subjects were on a normocaloric diet evaluated weekly via a dietetic record book.
At the end, the mean body weight of the Irvingia gabonensis group decreased by 5.26 ± 2.37% (p < 0.0001), and that of the placebo group by 1.32 ± 0.41% (p < 0.02). The difference between the two groups was significant (p < 0.01).
The obese patients under Irvingia gabonensis treatment also had a significant decrease in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides, as well as an increase in HDL cholesterol.
On the other hand, the placebo group did not manifest any changes in blood lipid components. Irvingia gabonensis seed may therefore find application in weight loss.
Now, to the reason I said leaving Egunsi for soya beans is like running from safety to danger, because soya beans are chock-full of anti-nutrients.
Although we have talked about defence mechanisms in plants before, let us remind ourselves of them to understand this better.
Plants are sedentary, meaning they cannot move. Roots anchor them to the soil, so plants cannot run. Therefore, they have developed physical and chemical defences to protect themselves against herbivores, animals that live by eating plant tissues.
The defence can be physical; for example, a rose's thorns, technically called prickles, are extremely important for its survival. They do everything from helping rose bushes grow to keeping them safe from predators and casual flower pickers.
Many plants produce secondary metabolites known as allelochemicals. These chemical defences can act as repellents or toxins to herbivores or reduce plant digestibility.
The evolution of chemical defence in plants is linked to the emergence of chemical substances that are not involved in essential photosynthetic and metabolic activities.
These substances, secondary metabolites, are organic compounds that are not directly involved in the normal growth, development or reproduction of organisms and often produced as by-products during the synthesis of primary metabolic products.
Some of these include Phenolics, Flavonoids and Tannins.
Plants evolve these compounds as a defensive mechanism against infestations by insects, parasites, bacteria and fungi.
For example, some anti-nutrients can cause food to taste bitter; animals won't want to eat it, leaving the seed, for instance, to provide nourishment for future seedlings.
However, if birds and animals were to eat the fruits containing the seeds and digest them to obtain additional nutrients and calories, then there would be no seeds left for the continuation of the plant species. So, some anti-nutrients block the digestion of seeds that are eaten.
Some of these compounds may also prevent the activity of the digestive enzymes, so that even if the seeds are consumed, they are excreted without altering their physiology.
Both of these survival tactics help the plant species grow and spread. In terms of foods that people eat, you will most commonly find anti-nutrients naturally occurring in whole grains and legumes.
Thus, anti-nutrients are part of the plant's chemical defence system against invaders to ensure its survival.
Soybeans naturally contain several anti-nutritional factors. This is why I said you should not see it as your safe tower.
However, I will find time to talk about ways to reduce these antinutrients in soya beans to make it safe for consumption.
In a study titled, "IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomised double-blind placebo controlled investigation,'' by Ngondi et al.
The conclusion is that Irvingia gabonensis extract may prove to be a useful tool in dealing with the emerging global epidemics of obesity, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance and their co-morbid conditions.
Lastly, I would like to remind us all that no plant-based food has cholesterol. So, go to the market, get ingredients and make sumptuous and delicious pots of ogbono and egunsi soups!