Effects of Bioactive Dietary Components on Human Adipocyte Lipid Storage

BACKGROUND During the development of the obesity epidemic in the last few decades, the type of food that people consume has changed considerably. There has been an increased use of processed foods containing numerous approved food additives that prolong shelf life, impart flavor or color, or are inadvertently added through packaging. To date, there are more than 3500 food additives recognized by the FDA. METHODS Human preadipocytes obtained from patients were isolated. Cells were differentiated for 11 days into adipocytes. 300 food additives were examined using a functional cell‐based screen to assess compound's ability to modify fat accumulation/storage. RESULTS Several compounds were found to increase total fat in the human adipocytes. Potential obesogens include vitamin D and some of its derivatives, and a handful of flavoring agents such as benzoin resin, pimenta leaf oil, bay oil, and 10‐undecenal. In addition, a food coloring, curcumin, was also found to have an effect. CONCLUSIONS Results demonstrate that some food additives augment adipocyte lipid storage. These food additives act on one or more of the four major pathways in adipocytes that lead to higher fat accumulation: stimulation of adipogenesis, enhanced triglyceride synthesis, inhibition of lipolysis, and/or suppression of oxidation. This suggests a potential link between the increased consumption of processed foods and obesity.