ARKRAY Inc. has announced the results of its research into diabetes and obesity at the 29th Scientifc Meeting of the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity. Through ingestion trials done on diabetic/obese laboratory mice, the company discovered that β-cryptoxanthin, a constituent in Satsuma mandarins (Citrus unshiu), has a positive effect on the faulty metabolism of sugar and fat, and that part of this effect is due to suppression of PPARγ activity in adipose tissue. The research revealed that as a result of being given cryptoxanthin, a pattern of a reduction in adipose tissue in the obesity and sugar diabetes model mice was observed, and that the PPARγ target gene expression in the adipose tissue also saw a reduction, meaning that an effect on the reduction in size of the adipocyte could be confirmed. It was observed that when the mice were deprived of food, their blood sugar level reduced. An oral glucose test then confirmed that β-cryptoxanthin was endowed with a glucose tolerance improvement effect. Based on these research results, the company will now look to contribute to people’s healthy lifestyle from the perspective of helping prevent the onset of metabolic syndrome.