Sarcopenic obesity, low muscle mass, and high body fat are growing health concerns in the aging population. This review highlights the need for standardized criteria and explores nutraceuticals as potential therapeutic agents. Sarcopenic obesity is associated with insulin resistance, inflammation, hormonal changes, and reduced physical activity. These factors lead to impaired muscle activity, intramuscular fat accumulation, and reduced protein synthesis, resulting in muscle catabolism and increased fat mass. Myostatin and irisin are myokines that regulate muscle synthesis and energy expenditure, respectively. Nutritional supplementation with vitamin D and calcium is recommended for increasing muscle mass and reducing body fat content. Testosterone therapy decreases fat mass and improves muscle strength. Vitamin K, specifically menaquinone-4 (MK-4), improves mitochondrial function and reduces muscle damage. Irisin is a hormone secreted during exercise that enhances oxidative metabolism, prevents insulin resistance and obesity, and improves bone quality. Low-glycemic-index diets and green cardamom are potential methods for managing sarcopenic obesity. In conclusion, along with exercise and dietary support, nutraceuticals, such as vitamin D, calcium, vitamin K, and natural agonists of irisin or testosterone, can serve as promising future therapeutic alternatives.

Obesity is swiftly becoming a global epidemic, leading to numerous metabolic disorders and substantial socio-economic burdens. Investigating natural bioactive compounds is crucial to support the use of traditional anti-obesity medications while mitigating the adverse effects. This study posited that a combination of Sphaeranthus indicus and Garcinia mangostana (Meratrim) could prevent fat accumulation in obese mice. We used 4-week-old C57BL/6NTac mice, dividing them into six groups: (1) normal diet (ND); (2) high-fat diet (HFD, 45% kcal from fat); (3–5) Meratrim150, Meratrim300, and Meratrim450 (HFD with 150, 300, and 450 mg/kg bw of Meratrim); and (6) Metformin (HFD with 150 mg/kg bw of metformin). Meratrim was administered orally each day for 20 weeks. The group receiving 450 mg/kg of Meratrim showed a significant reduction in body weight and fat mass without changes in food consumption. The Meratrim450 group had markedly lower triglyceride levels in both serum and liver. Importantly, Meratrim-supplemented mice improved lipid homeostasis by inhibiting hepatic de novo lipogenesis and activating energy catabolic pathways such as non-shivering thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue. Our results suggest that the herbal mixture of Sphaeranthus indicus and Garcinia mangostana (Meratrim) is a promising natural anti-obesity agent, owing to its efficacy in reducing body fat and enhancing lipid homeostasis.