# Diet-Induced Browning of White Adipose Tissue: Molecular Targets, Mechanisms, and Therapeutic Potential

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how certain diets can transform white fat into brown-like fat, potentially offering a new way to combat obesity and related diseases.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of dietary bioactives and molecular mechanisms involved in white adipose tissue browning.

## Key findings

- Diet-induced browning of white adipose tissue can increase energy expenditure and combat obesity.
- AMPK, PPAR, SIRT, TRP channels, β3-adrenergic, and FGF21 pathways are key regulators of WAT browning.
- Natural dietary compounds offer potential for developing new nutritional and therapeutic strategies for obesity.

## Abstract

Obesity, driven by chronic energy imbalance, has become a major global health burden and is strongly associated with metabolic disorders, including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Conventional pharmacotherapies often exhibit limited long-term efficacy and are accompanied by undesirable side effects, highlighting the urgent need for safer and more sustainable strategies. Browning of White adipose tissue (WAT)—a process in which white adipocytes acquire brown fat-like thermogenic characteristics—has emerged as a promising approach to enhance energy expenditure and counteract obesity. Increasing evidence demonstrates that various diets and naturally occurring dietary bioactive compounds can effectively induce WAT browning through diverse molecular pathways. Among these, AMPK-, PPAR-, SIRT-, TRP channel-, β3-adrenergic-, and FGF21-related signaling cascades represent the major regulatory hubs linked to mitochondrial biogenesis, lipid metabolism, and thermogenesis. This review summarizes recent advances in diet-induced WAT browning, with particular emphasis on key dietary ingredients, their molecular targets, mechanistic pathways, and metabolic benefits. By integrating findings from in vitro studies, animal models, and emerging translational research, we provide updated insights that may guide the development of novel nutritional interventions, functional foods, and therapeutic strategies for obesity prevention and management.