Evidence for interactions between aroma compounds and the CB1 receptor: a way to regulate food intake?

National audience; Obesity is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, characterised by a chronic imbalance of energy homeostasis. The regulation of dietary intake appears to be an effective way to regulate this imbalance. Furthermore, it is now well established that the endocannabinoid system influences appetite via the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1): CB1 agonists can promote food intake while CB1 antagonists tend to decrease appetite (1). Interestingly, recent studies showed that CB1-like receptors are expressed in the olfactory epithelium of Xenopus laevis tadpoles (2). Elsewhere, it has been demonstrated that aroma perception is implicated in the process of satiety (3). Co…