It is largely accepted the important role of food and feeding habits on health maintenance and development of non transmissible chronic diseases (NTCD). Epidemiologic evidences show that increasing vegetable consumption positively impacts health. On the other hand, in vivo and in vitro studies in animals show that non-nutrient bioactive food substances partly explain the role of food on the maintenance of health and on the risk reduction of these diseases. The modulation of gene expression of proteins that are involved in the cellular signaling pathways of NTCD is an important mechanism of the bioactive food substances, indicating their importance in disease prevention. Bioavailability, metabolic routes and the action of the resultant metabolites of bioactive food compounds are important aspects that may affect NTCD. All these aspects have actively been investigated in the last years and resulted in a greater understanding of the beginning, progression and prevention of NTCD. This review aimed at discussing the involved mechanisms of the inflammatory response induced by obesity and the role of bioactive food compounds in modulating such response.