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articles from studies examining functional effects on obesity, liver dysfunction, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hyperuricemia, and related conditions were included in this collection.The most investigated aspect was the relationship between obesity and probiotic and prebiotic consumption. This relationship was directly addressed by 8 articles. First, Jia et al. (10.3389/fnut.2025.1551987) examined the impact of Flammulina velutipes mycorrhizae dietary fiber on mice that were exposed to high-fat diet (HFD). The treatment prevented the obesity-related change by neutralizing the hepatic lipid metabolism change caused by HFD. In another study, Liu et al.(10.3389/fnut.2025.1651993) evaluated whether dietary uridine could improve hepatic lipid metabolism in mice exposed to a HFD. The use of uridine resulted in a decrease in body weight (BW) gain, adiposity, and blood and liver triglyceride content. The treatment had a positive impact on the altered expression of genes involved in lipid transport and low-density lipid receptor (Ldlr). According to these findings, uridine could be used to treat obesity by reducing hepatic changes in energy metabolism. De Matteis et al. By analyzing the microbiota profile before and after FV consumption, the study discovered that FV promoted a healthy gut microbiota composition, with an increase in butyrate-producing and anti-inflammatory bacterial species. According to this data, consuming FV, which is a source of fiber and lactic acid bacteria, is a promising strategy for promoting gut and metabolic health. In line with this, two weeks of FV consumption decreased the fat mass percentage compared to baseline measurements. A paper produced by Zhu et al. (10.3389/fnut.2024.1442535) tested the functional effects of a radish seed glucosinolate extract in HFD-induced obese mice. BW gain was prevented by the treatment and serum lipids and lipid deposition in the liver were reduced. The gut microbiota diversity increased, leading to a decrease in Faecalibaculum and an increase in Allobaculum, Romboutsia, Turicibacter, and Akkermansia. Furthermore, the decrease in serum levels of ALT and AST suggests that there is no toxicity caused by the treatment.As previous studies have demonstrated a reduced level of thiamine (vitamin B1) in obesity, a study tested its functional effects in mice exposed to a high-fat and high- showing the role of alteration in the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in the pathogenesis of lipid accumulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance, which are involved in the progression of metabolic disorders. This review highlights UPS as a target for developing anti-metabolic disorder therapies. Although cinnamon has been reported in various studies as a promotor of metabolic health, there is contrasting evidence from trials. Gou et al. (10.3389/fnut.2025.1683477) performed a systematic review to evaluate the impact of cinnamon supplementation on metabolic outcomes in patients with metabolic diseases. The authors found an association of cinnamon consumption with improved fasting glucose and lipid profiles. Interestingly, the effects were higher in patients with diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Moreover, subgroup analysis suggests that doses >1.5 g/day in interventions of short duration (≤2 months) may enhance these benefits. The review paper produced by Lin et al. (10.3389/fnut.2025.1655664) showed that resistant starch (RS) consumption (around 30 g/day and lasting over 8 weeks) significantly reduces hip circumference, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and improves superoxide dismutase levels. However, the effects of RS on waist circumference, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and TNF-α were less conclusive. 10weeks treatment with an extract of Pangxiejiao plant, which is rich in flavonoids, polysaccharides, triterpenoids, etc., protected from BW gain, fasting blood glucose, glucose intolerance, and dyslipidemia induced by high-fat and high-fructose diet consumption. Along with these changes, decreased serum levels of inflammatory markers like interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were observed.Furthermore, these benefits were associated with a decrease of the (10.3389/fnut.2025.1598897) revealed that puerarin has cardioprotective benefits across multiple trials. Due to its low bioavailability, most studies showing such benefits administered the compound intravenously. Despite being beneficial for metabolism, puerarin treatment had side effects, which included drug fever, rash, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hepatic/renal damage, palpitations, anaphylactic shock, and hemolysis. The challenge now is to find a safer delivery system that allows us to profit from its benefits.The antihypertensive effects of garlic have been well demonstrated. However, there is substantial heterogeneity in the current literature. To overcome this issue, Tang et al. research on nutritional supplements is in full development, it is expected that these aspects will be intensively investigated shortly and that therapies based on functional foods will be consolidated.