Managing Obesity through Natural Polyphenols: A Review

Obesity is a pervasive global health problem needing urgent research and regulatory attention. Although synthetic anti-obesity drugs are available, they come with considerable risk of adverse effects and variable outcomes. Thus, there is a growing trend globally in using natural compounds for management of obesity. There is a considerable body of knowledge, supported by rigorous experimental data, that natural polyphenols can be effective and safer alternative for managing obesity through food and food fortification. This review documents the status of research on anti-obesity mechanisms and critically evaluates the effectiveness of natural polyphenolic compounds that are currently used for management of obesity. It summarizes different mechanisms of anti-obesity action associated with the enzymes, energy expenditure, appetite suppression, adipocyte differentiation, lipid metabolism and gut microbiota by various natural polyphenols. It also critically evaluates the in vitro, animal and clinical experimental data that support the anti-obesity potential of natural polyphenols. Most of the published data indicate that natural phenolic compounds can be effectively utilized as food or fortified foods, to manage obesity. However, there is still a need for systematic and targeted clinical studies before these natural compounds can be used as the mainstream therapy for managing obesity.