Plant-derived food ingredients for stimulation of energy expenditure

The development of obesity is related to the regulation of energy intake, energy expenditure, and energy storage in the body. Increasing energy expenditure by inducing lipolysis followed by fat oxidation is one of the alternatives which could help to reverse this increasingly widespread condition. Currently, there is no approved drug targeting on stimulation of energy expenditure available. The use of herbal medicines has become a preferred alternative, supported by the classical consensus on the innocuity of herbal medicine vs synthetic drugs, something that often lacks a scientific basis (ban on Ephedra, for example). The inclusion of functional food in the daily diet has also been promoted although its efficacy requires further investigation. This review summarizes the results of recent work focused on the investigation of edible plant materials targeted at various important pathways related to stimulation of energy expenditure. The aim is to evaluate a number of plants that may be of interest for further studies because of their potential to provide novel lead compounds or functional foods which may be used to combat obesity, but require further studies to evaluate their antiobesity activity in humans.