A new study published in Food Research International suggests that a modified form of hemp protein may help reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels by targeting key enzymes and metabolic pathways involved in fat storage.
Researchers from Northeast Agricultural University in China developed a hemp protein hydrolysate (HPH) using a combined enzyme and bacterial fermentation process designed to enhance its biological activity. According to the study, this approach altered the protein’s structure, decreasing its α-helical content while increasing β-sheet structures, changes that were linked to improved functional properties.
Laboratory testing found that HPH significantly inhibited pancreatic lipase and cholesterol esterase, two enzymes involved in fat digestion and absorption. In cell-based experiments using HepG2 liver cells exposed to free fatty acids, higher concentrations of HPH reduced total cholesterol by 39.71%, triglycerides by 30.84%, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 21.94%. At the same time, levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol increased by 1.4-fold.
Further analysis showed that HPH activated the AMPK signaling pathway and influenced several lipid-regulating pathways, including SREBP1, PPARα, HMGCR and PCSK9-LDLR. These pathways play central roles in cholesterol production, fat metabolism and lipid transport within cells. Researchers reported that these combined effects led to improvements in intracellular lipid accumulation.
The findings indicate that hemp protein, when processed using enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation, may serve as a natural candidate for preventing or managing hyperlipidemia. However, the results are based on laboratory and cell models, and clinical trials w
