Obesity, a primary influence on health condition, causes numerous comorbidities and complications and, therefore, pharmacotherapy is considered a strategy for its treatment. However, the adverse effects of most chemical drugs targeting weight loss complicate their approval by regulatory authorities. Recently, interest has increased in the development of ingredients from natural sources with fewer adverse effects for preventing and ameliorating obesity. This review provides an overview of current anti-obesity drugs and natural products with anti-obesity properties as well as their mechanisms of action, which include interfering with nutrient absorption, decreasing adipogenesis, increasing energy expenditure (thermogenesis), appetite suppression, modifying intestinal microbiota composition, and increasing fecal fat excretion.
Keywords: chemical drug; mechanism; natural product; obesity; pharmacotherapy.