Natural antioxidants in obesity and related diseases

Obesity adversely affects most of the body’s physiological functions and is regarded as “the biggest public health threat for this century”. It is caused by various factors, including a high-fat diet, and increases the risk of developing numerous co-morbidities, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, several types of cancers, cardiovascular diseases and liver diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated that increased fat deposition in obesity may play a role in, or be a result of, excessive oxidative stress in the body. Antioxidants derived from nature can modulate oxidative stress. Natural antioxidants are widely distributed in food and medicinal plants. These natural antioxidants exhibit a wide range of biological effects, including anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, anti-obesity, and anti-cancer. The consumption of natural antioxidants can ameliorate oxidative stress-induced damage by inhibiting the oxidative chain reaction via a free radical scavenging process. Thus, the search for these natural antioxidants will provide an advance in therapeutic interventions for obesity and related diseases. An understanding of the mechanism of action of natural antioxidants in redox modulation could be useful to prevent or develop therapies for obesity and related diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, fatty liver diseases, inflammatory diseases, or even cancer.

11/02/2025