Influence of Antioxidants on Leptin Metabolism and its Role in the Pathogenesis of Obesity

Abstract

Obesity is associated with low-grade inflammation. Leptin, a hormone made by fat cells regulates appetite and hunger and thus food intake behavior. Interestingly, , food preservatives like sodium sulfite and sodium benzoate and also natural colorant and spice compounds such as curcumin were found to decrease the release of leptin in murine 3T3-L1 adipocytes, after co-incubation with LPS, which was added to mimic the pro-inflammatory status in obesity. Several of these compounds are well known food antioxidants.

Whilst reducing oxidation events is beneficial in states of elevated oxidative stress, overexposure to food antioxidant can lead to adverse effects. There are hints from in vivo data, that antioxidant stress in younger age plays a role in the development of adiposity in later life. The insufficient exposure to oxidizing compounds like reactive oxygen species (ROS) cannot only cause an insufficient burning of calories but there is also a link to the regulation of food intake behavior. If the in vitro findings can be extrapolated to the in vivo situation, consumption of antioxidant supplemented food could lead to decreased leptin release and contribute to an obesogenic environment. This aspect sheds some new critical light on the potential role of an antioxidant-enriched nutrition in the obesity epidemic during the past few centuries. Doing sports could represent not only a proper strategy to initiate physiological ROS production and burning of calories, but also may shift the hormone milieu towards a reduction of hunger feelings and thus reduce appetite and food intake.