Role of MicroRNAs in Dietary Interventions for Obesity and Obesity-Related Diseases

Obesity and related metabolic syndromes pose a serious threat to human health and quality of life. A proper diet is a safe and effective strategy to prevent and control obesity, thus maintaining overall health. However, no consensus exists on the connotations of proper diet, and it is attributed to various factors, including nutritional dark matter and the matrix effect of food. Accumulating evidence confirms that obesity is associated with the in vivo levels of miRNAs, which serve as potential markers and regulatory targets for obesity onset and progression; food-derived miRNAs can regulate host obesity by targeting the related genes or gut microbiota across the animal kingdom. Host miRNAs mediate food nutrient-gut microbiota-obesity interactions. Thus, miRNAs are important correlates of diet and obesity onset. This review outlines the recent findings on miRNA-mediated food interventions for obesity, thereby elucidating their potential applications. Overall, we provide new perspectives and views on the evaluation of dietary nutrition, which may bear important implications for dietary control and obesity prevention.

Automated summary

Obesity and metabolic syndromes are threats to human health and quality of life. A proper diet is an effective strategy to prevent and control obesity, but the definition of proper diet is still unclear and can be influenced by various factors. MiRNAs play an important role in obesity, serving as potential markers and targets for its onset and progression. Food-derived miRNAs can regulate host obesity through targeting genes and gut microbiota. This review provides new perspectives on dietary nutrition evaluation and its implications for obesity prevention.