β-carotene in Obesity Research: Technical Considerations and Current Status of the Field

Over the past decades, obesity has become a rising health problem as the accessibility to high calorie, low nutritional value food has increased. Research shows that some bioactive components in fruits and vegetables, such as carotenoids, could contribute to the prevention and treatment of obesity....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Nutrients 2019-04, Vol.11 (4), p.842
Main Authors:	Coronel, Johana, Pinos, Ivan, Amengual, Jaume
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Acne adipocyte Adipocytes Adipocytes - drug effects Adipocytes - physiology Adipose tissue Animals beta Carotene - therapeutic use beta-Carotene 15,15'-Monooxygenase - metabolism Body mass Body mass index Body size Carotene Carotenoids Cell culture Diabetes Diet Disease Disease control Esters Fatty acids Fruits Gene expression Genetic modification Humans Lipid bilayers Lipids Metabolic disorders Metabolites Milk Nutrient deficiency Nutrition research Obesity Obesity - drug therapy Public health Researchers Retinene Retinoic acid Review Supplementation Vegetables Vitamin A Weight control β-Carotene β-carotene oxygenase 1
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Summary:	Over the past decades, obesity has become a rising health problem as the accessibility to high calorie, low nutritional value food has increased. Research shows that some bioactive components in fruits and vegetables, such as carotenoids, could contribute to the prevention and treatment of obesity. Some of these carotenoids are responsible for vitamin A production, a hormone-like vitamin with pleiotropic effects in mammals. Among these effects, vitamin A is a potent regulator of adipose tissue development, and is therefore important for obesity. This review focuses on the role of the provitamin A carotenoid β-carotene in human health, emphasizing the mechanisms by which this compound and its derivatives regulate adipocyte biology. It also discusses the physiological relevance of carotenoid accumulation, the implication of the carotenoid-cleaving enzymes, and the technical difficulties and considerations researchers must take when working with these bioactive molecules. Thanks to the broad spectrum of functions carotenoids have in modern nutrition and health, it is necessary to understand their benefits regarding to metabolic diseases such as obesity in order to evaluate their applicability to the medical and pharmaceutical fields.
ISSN:	2072-6643 2072-6643