Stimulation of brown adipose tissue by polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil

Obesity is one of the main public health problems of the 21(st)century resulting from an imbalance between calorie intake and energy expenditure. Currently, the search for new treatments against this pathology has become a priority. One of the therapeutic strategies against obesity could be the activation of brown adipose tissue through different molecules such as the phenolic compounds of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). The objective of this review was to provide an update of scientific knowledge on the relationship between EVOO phenolic compounds and brown adipose tissue. According to this review, it has been demonstrated that extra virgin olive oil phenolic compounds can have beneficial effects on obesity by activating brown adipose tissue and enhance thermogenesis through different signaling pathways mediated by molecules such as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC1 alpha) or sirtuin 1 (Sirt1).