Dietary Anthocyanins against Obesity and Inflammation

Abstract

Chronic low-grade inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of obesity, due to its associated chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases and cancer. Thus, targeting inflammation is an attractive strategy to counter the burden of obesity-induced health problems. Recently, food-derived bioactive compounds have been spotlighted as a regulator against various chronic diseases due to their low toxicity, as opposed to drugs that induce severe side effects. Here we describe the beneficial effects of dietary anthocyanins on obesity-induced metabolic disorders and inflammation. Red cabbage microgreen, blueberry, blackcurrant, mulberry, cherry, black elderberry, black soybean, chokeberry and jaboticaba peel contain a variety of anthocyanins including cyanidins, delphinidins, malvidins, pelargonidins, peonidins and petunidins, and have been reported to alter both metabolic markers and inflammatory markers in cells, animals, and humans. This review discusses the interplay between inflammation and obesity, and their subsequent regulation via the use of dietary anthocyanins, suggesting an alternative dietary strategy to ameliorate obesity and obesity associated chronic diseases.

Keywords: anthocyanin; flavonoids; inflammation; obesity.

Figure 1

Structure of the most common anthocyanins.

Figure 2

Beneficial effects of anthocyanins on obesity and inflammation. When receptors recognize the status of over-nutrition, they activate various transcription factors such as NF-κB, IRF-3 and AP-1 for translocation into nucleus and bind to the promoter region of target genes. Eventually, inflammatory cytokines are expressed resulting in chronic inflammatory conditions in adipocytes of WAT. Dietary anthocyanins may have preventive effects on these events, leading to health benefits.