Functional Foods for Obesity Management

Obesity is a global

problem and numbers are rising at a fast pace in developing countries and it becomes

a major public health concern. Economic costs associated with obesity are high

and increasing as the rate of obesity. Obesity leads to its co-morbidities;

namely diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis, stroke

and inflammatory diseases. Changes in life-style along with modifications to the diet are important in the management of

obesity. Certain dietary components and foods have the ability to induce

thermogenesis and modify the trafficking of nutrients in the body. Positive

effects in managing obesity by natural components, and selected foods have

drawn attention due to the potential side effects of obesity drugs. The food

industry has developed low-density foods to reduce energy intake. Now focus has

been geared towards the development of foods

that possess more than one mechanism to alter the progression of obesity. In

this review, selected foods and their components with potential

anti-obesity properties are discussed.