Anti-obesity potential of natural methylxanthines

Obesity is one of the most challenging health issue worldwide that has been steadily increasing in the last decades. Obesity arises from a positive energy balance in result of increased intake and decreased energy expenditure, usually due to inadequate dietary habits and a sedentary lifestyle, which results in the accumulation of excess body fat. There are few pharmacological tools to address obesity, thus calorie restriction and increased physical activity are still the cornerstone of obesity treatment. In recent years, natural products obtained from plants have been thoroughly studied to infer whether these have any potential to target obesity. Methylxanthines comprise one of those classes of compounds that are abundant in common food products consumed on a daily basis worldwide, such as coffee, chocolate, or tea. Despite caffeine is the most popular and well-studied methylxanthine, theobromine and theophylline are also abundant in humans' diet. Notably, methylxanthines proved to stimulate lipolysis and inhibit adipogenesis, which are interesting properties that could contribute for obesity management. This review aims to discuss the most recent information concerning the promising role of methylxanthines in the modulation of adipose tissue functions, highlighting the potential of these molecules in the development of novel therapeutic approaches for obesity treatment.