Obesity, a chronic condition marked by the excessive accumulation of adipose tissue, not only affects individual well-being but also significantly inflates healthcare costs. The physiological excess of fat manifests as triglyceride (TG) deposition within adipose tissue, with white adipose tissue (WAT) expansion via adipocyte hyperplasia being a key adipogenesis mechanism. As efforts intensify to address this global health crisis, understanding the complex interplay of contributing factors becomes critical for effective public health interventions and improved patient outcomes. In this context, gut microbiota-derived metabolites play an important role in orchestrating obesity modulation. Microbial lipopolysaccharides (LPS), secondary bile acids (BA), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and trimethylamine (TMA) are the main intestinal metabolites in dyslipidemic states. Emerging evidence highlights the microbiota’s substantial role in influencing host metabolism and subsequent health outcomes, presenting new avenues for therapeutic strategies, including polyphenol-based manipulations of these microbial populations. Among various agents, caffeine emerges as a potent modulator of metabolic pathways, exhibiting anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and obesity-mitigating properties. Notably, caffeine’s anti-adipogenic potential, attributed to the downregulation of key adipogenesis regulators, has been established. Recent findings further indicate that caffeine’s influence on obesity may be mediated through alterations in the gut microbiota and its metabolic byproducts. Therefore, the present review summarizes the anti-adipogenic effect of caffeine in modulating obesity through the intestinal microbiota and its metabolites.

Aging is a dynamic and progressive process characterized by the gradual accumulation of cellular damage. The continuous functional decline in the intrinsic capacity of living organisms to precisely regulate homeostasis leads to an increased susceptibility and vulnerability to diseases. Among the factors contributing to these changes, body composition—comprised of fat mass and lean mass deposits—plays a crucial role in the trajectory of a disability. Particularly, visceral and intermuscular fat deposits increase with aging and are associated with adverse health outcomes, having been linked to the pathogenesis of sarcopenia. Adipose tissue is involved in the secretion of bioactive factors that can ultimately mediate inter-organ pathology, including skeletal muscle pathology, through the induction of a pro-inflammatory profile such as a SASP, cellular senescence, and immunosenescence, among other events. Extensive research has shown that natural compounds have the ability to modulate the mechanisms associated with cellular senescence, in addition to exhibiting anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory potential, making them interesting strategies for promoting healthy aging. In this review, we will discuss how factors such as cellular senescence and the presence of a pro-inflammatory phenotype can negatively impact body composition and lead to the development of age-related diseases, as well as how the use of polyphenols can be a functional measure for restoring balance, maintaining tissue quality and composition, and promoting health.