The double blind and randomized study - led by A.M. Bhagwat at the Shri C. B. Patel Research Center for Chemistry and Biological Sciences in Mumbai, India - included 60 obese male and female volunteers aged 25- 45 with a body mass index (BMI) between 28 and 40 and/or body fat concentration above 30 percent in males and 40 percent in females.
Participants were either given 250 mg of ForsLean (standardized to 10 percent forskolin) approximately 30 minutes before meals twice daily or a matching placebo.
Volunteers who received ForsLean lost an average of 3.81 pounds or 4.02 percent of their total body weight, while the placebo group gained an average of less than one half pound or 0.29 percent of their total body weight. Additionally, volunteers who received the placebo gained 0.68 percent body fat, while individuals receiving ForsLean lost 0.46 percent body fat which was replaced by lean body mass.
ForsLean is an extract derived from Coleus forskohlii roots, a plant native to warm temperate habitats including India. Coleus forskohlii is the only known plant source of forskolin, a natural compound that has been shown to increase lean body mass and help optimize body composition.
Sabinsa holds a US patent for the use of forskolin as a weight management ingredient and manufactures and supplies 10, 20, 40 and 95 percent concentrate ForsLean powdered extracts for use in a variety of supplements and products.
In April, NutraIngredientsUSA reported how demand for forskolin in the US had grown to such an extent that Sabinsa had expanded its cultivation of the Coleus forskohlii, to cover more than 18 zones throughout India.
Farmers across various regions in India are contracted to grow the Coleus forskohlii plants. By utilizing additional farmland, Sabinsa is able to stagger crop cycles and cultivate the plant year round.
"Our cultivation process ensures that customers are getting our extract," said Dr Muhammed Majeed, CEO of Sabinsa.