ABSTRACT
Obesity is associated with different health complications and a reduced life expectancy. Different nutraceuticals are offered in the market, but present serious concerns are regarding the safety of their use, due to the side effects they may induce in the body. Recently, sibutramine and rimonabant have been withdrawn from the European market, because they are associated with anorexia problems. This has given rise to several investigations, being focused on the study of the gastroenteropancreatic system. Reciprocally, a series of endocrine peptides and hormones that send signals to the brain have been identified in the intestine. These biomolecules coordinate various functions involved in the regulation of food intake and energy balance. Several research groups have explored the effect of continued consumption of different extracts in induced obesity models without establishing their impact on the neuroendocrine regulation of appetite and homeostatic energy. Currently, the effect of the consumption of infusions and nutraceuticals from herbal products as a therapy for weight control is being studied. Therefore in this chapter, it is proposed to document the effect of these natural products on the gut–brain axis to relate weight loss to the influence of hormones and peptides in the metabolic activity of neurons.
