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Obesity is one of the most serious problems of the 21st century and is thought to affect about 300 million people worldwide. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 18% of the adult population is obese. More alarming is that there is a strong correlation between the development of childhood obesity and its prevalence in adulthood done. Likewise, children who do not have this disease have high chances of staying within normal weight into adulthood. Therefore the present obesity predisposes an early prevalence of this condition in adulthood. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved so far five drugs against long-term obesity in adults with obesity: lorcaserin, phentermine/topiramate, naltrexone/bupropion and liraglutide in the last two years. A fifth alternative is orlistat, is a drug used short-term efficacy in use up to six months and is solely used to treat childhood obesity. Therefore, new pharmacological alternatives are investigated. It is very important is knowledge of the gut-brain axis and there leptin, which regulates food intake and energy balance in normal weight subjects and is a key hormone in food and body control in both children and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]