The incidence of obesity and its related metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, has escalated dramatically over the past decades worldwide, so much so that it has reached epidemic proportions. It has become a significant public health issue and a massive burden to the health-care system in developed and developing countries. Obesity is the fifth leading risk for human mortality around the globe, resulting in 2.8 million adult deaths each year. Another alarming fact is that childhood obesity has increased dramatically since 1990. Childhood obesity is one of the serious public health challenges of the 21st century, with there expected to be about 60 million obese children by 2020 globally. Obesity is connected with chronic low-grade inflammation manifested by increased circulatory levels of several cytokines and acute phase proteins associated with inflammation. While many are secreted by adipocytes, it is believed that increased adipose tissue mass is either directly or indirectly associated with the increased production of inflammation-related factors. Several therapeutic options have been used for short-term treatment of obesity, however many of these cause unpleasant side-effects, including dizziness, headache, anxiety, elevated heart rate and gastro-intestinal issues. There is strong evidence supporting the therapeutic use of polyphenols such as stilbenes, flavonoids and curcuminoids, given that they show potential in the prevention and/or treatment of obesity and its metabolic complications. [...]