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Review
. 2020 Aug 10;12(8):2393.
doi: 10.3390/nu12082393.

Metabolic Impact of Flavonoids Consumption in Obesity: From Central to Peripheral

Viviana Sandoval  1 , Hèctor Sanz-Lamora  1   2 , Giselle Arias  1 , Pedro F Marrero  1   3   4 , Diego Haro  1   3   4 , Joana Relat  1   2   4
Affiliations
Review

Metabolic Impact of Flavonoids Consumption in Obesity: From Central to Peripheral

Viviana Sandoval et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

The prevention and treatment of obesity is primary based on the follow-up of a healthy lifestyle, which includes a healthy diet with an important presence of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols. For many years, the health benefits of polyphenols have been attributed to their anti-oxidant capacity as free radical scavengers. More recently it has been described that polyphenols activate other cell-signaling pathways that are not related to ROS production but rather involved in metabolic regulation. In this review, we have summarized the current knowledge in this field by focusing on the metabolic effects of flavonoids. Flavonoids are widely distributed in the plant kingdom where they are used for growing and defensing. They are structurally characterized by two benzene rings and a heterocyclic pyrone ring and based on the oxidation and saturation status of the heterocyclic ring flavonoids are grouped in seven different subclasses. The present work is focused on describing the molecular mechanisms underlying the metabolic impact of flavonoids in obesity and obesity-related diseases. We described the effects of each group of flavonoids in liver, white and brown adipose tissue and central nervous system and the metabolic and signaling pathways involved on them.

Keywords: adipose tissue; brain; flavonoids; lipid metabolism; metabolic regulation; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the metabolic and signaling pathways underlying the anti-obesity effects of flavonoids. Molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of flavonoids have been widely studied and, in many cases, involved the activation of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK is a key enzyme for the control of lipid metabolism and adipogenesis. AMPK phosphorylation and activation promote catabolic processes such as FAO, glucose uptake, or glycolysis as well as inhibits anabolic pathways such as fatty acid synthesis or gluconeogenesis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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