Vitamin A Status Improvement in Obesity: Findings and Perspectives Using Encapsulation Techniques

Abstract

The association between obesity and vitamin A has been studied. Some studies point to the anti-obesity activity related to this vitamin, carotenoids with provitamin A activity, and carotenoid conversion products. This performance has been evaluated in respect of adipogenesis, metabolic activity, oxidation processes, secretory function, and oxidative stress modulation, showing a new property attributed to vitamin A in preventing and treating obesity. However, vitamin A and its precursors are highly sensitive and easily degraded when subjected to heat, the presence of light, and oxygen, in addition to losses related to the processes of digestion and absorption. In this context, encapsulation presents itself as an alternative capable of increasing vitamin A's stability in the face of unfavorable conditions in the environment, which can reduce its functionality. Considering that vitamin A's status shows a strong correlation with obesity and is an innovative theme, this article addresses the associations between vitamin A's consumption and its precursors, encapsulated or not, and its physiological effects on obesity. The present narrative review points out those recent studies that demonstrate that vitamin A and its encapsulated precursors have the most preserved functionality, which guarantees better effects on obesity therapy.

Keywords: adipose tissue; carotenoids; functionality; provitamin A; retinoic acid; solubility.

Figure 1

Relationship between carotenoids (β-carotene, α-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin) or their conversion products and obesity. CCPs: carotenoid converting products. PPARγ: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma. PPARα: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha. RXR: retinoid X receptor.