Lynn Cialdella-Kam
Case Western Reserve University, USA
Title: Flavonoids: Examination of the evidence as a potential treatment strategy for obesity
Biography
Biography: Lynn Cialdella-Kam
Abstract
Dietary changes and exercise are important strategies to prevent and treat obesity, but the long-term implementation of these lifestyle changes are often unsuccessful. Thus, alternative nutritional approaches are needed. Flavonoids, which are natural chemicals found in foods such as berries, tea, and apples, may attenuate the effects of obesity such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and glucose intolerance based on in vitro and animal studies. Research in humans validating these findings are limited. In intervention studies using flavonoid mixtures, traditional biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular health have been unaltered. However, supplementation with flavonoids have been associated with changes in gene expression and metabolites in humans supporting a potential role for attenuating inflammation and enhance immune function at the tissue level. Evidence from in vitro, animal, and human studies flavonoid supplementation in obesity will be reviewed with a discussion on clinical applications.