Obesity is a big problem that can lead to health issues like diabetes and high blood pressure.
Therefore, scientists are looking for things that might help people - and they have found an unusual Chinese fruit that might be very handy.
Let's find out more about it.
More about the study
Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University, led by Professor Akiko Kojima, have been looking for new ways to fight obesity.
They studied an extract from a plant called Mallotus furetianus, which comes from Hainan Island in China.
They wanted to see if this extract could help with obesity, but they didn't know how it worked.
To figure it out, they used mice as a model for obesity.
When they gave the mice the Mallotus furetianus extract, something amazing happened.
The mice didn't gain as much weight, and their fat tissue also decreased.
The researchers looked closer and found that the extract was stopping the mice from making more fat by blocking certain proteins.
Why it's important
Professor Kojima said their group is searching for natural ingredients that can help people fight obesity and stay healthy.
The results show that the Mallotus furetianus extract might be a useful ingredient in food to help prevent obesity.
This could be a new way to stay healthy and avoid getting too overweight.
