Depression and obesity are very common pathologies. Both cause significant problems of both morbidity and mortality and have decisive impacts not only on the health and well-being of patients, but also on socioeconomic and health expenditure aspects. Many epidemiological studies, clinical studies and meta-analyses support the association between mood disorders and obesity in relationships to different conditions such as the severity of depression, the severity of obesity, gender, socioeconomic status, genetic susceptibility, environmental influences and adverse experiences of childhood. Currently, both depression and obesity are considered pathologies with a high-inflammatory impact; it is believed that several overlapping factors, such as the activation of the cortico-adrenal axis, the exaggerated and prolonged response of the innate immune system and proinflammatory cytokines to stress factors and pathogens—as well as alterations of the intestinal microbiota which promote intestinal permeability—can favor the expression of an increasingly proinflammatory phenotype that can be considered a key and common phenomenon between these two widespread pathologies. The purpose of this literature review is to evaluate the common and interacting mechanisms between depression and obesity.

Obesity is a chronic multifactorial disease that has become a serious health problem and is currently widespread over the world. It is, in fact, strongly associated with many other conditions, including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, the onset of different types of malignant tumors and alterations in reproductive function. According to the literature, obesity is characterized by a state of low-grade chronic inflammation, with a substantial increase in immune cells, specifically macrophage infiltrates in the adipose tissue which, in turn, secrete a succession of pro-inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, recent studies on microbiota have postulated new possible mechanisms of interaction between obesity and unbalanced nutrition with inflammation. This intestinal “superorganism” complex seems to influence not only the metabolic balance of the host but also the immune response, favoring a state of systemic inflammation and insulin resistance. This review summarizes the major evidence on the interactions between the gut microbiota, energetic metabolism and host immune system, all leading to a convergence of the fields of immunology, nutrients physiology and microbiota in the context of obesity and its possible clinical complications. Finally, possible therapeutic approaches aiming to rebalance the intestinal microbial ecosystem are evaluated to improve the alteration of inflammatory and metabolic states in obesity and related diseases.

The ubiquity of the obesity condition in the United States, Europe and other regions with developed economies will associate to a significant adverse impact on public health. Numerous data indicate that social, behavioral, neuroendocrine, and metabolic factors may encourage com-pulsive eating behaviors thus increasing the risk of obesity. Several pathological conditions overlap with excess weight. Among the most common, there are binge eating disorder (BED) and food addiction (FA), which share several neurobiological and behavioral aspects with sub-stance addictions. BED has many features in common with addictive be-havior, such as loss of control and need to frequently repeat the dysfunc-tional pattern despite negative consequences. The food addiction hypothesis assumes that exposure to highly palatable foods alters the reward circuits of brain, resulting in a behavioral pheno-type similar to substance addiction and facilitating dysfunctional eating behaviors, such as binge eating crises. In this review, over 100 publica-tions, researched on MEDLINE from 2000 until march 2021, were included since they evaluate neuroendocrine changes, emotional homeostatic fac-tors and the reward circuit, associating them with exposure to highly pal-atable foods, loss of control, the way we eat, the increase in impulsiveness and the inability to change eating behavior despite the negative conse-quences related to overweight and obesity. Finally, understanding the underlying neurobiological circuits compul-sive eating behaviors and food addiction could result in a great thera-peutic potential for patients suffering from ailments nutrition and obesi-ty.

: Childhood obesity has assumed epidemic proportions and is currently one of the most widespread public health problems. Many are the factors involved in the pathogenesis of excess weight with interactions between genetic, environmental and biological factors and therefore, also the therapeutic approach must be multidisciplinary and multidimensional. In this review of the literature, we report the contiguity of childhood obesity with eating disorders and the importance of involving the family context in order to induce stable lifestyle changes, both in relation to dietary and nutritional habits, but also in increasing physical activity. Finally, among the therapeutic options, although for selected cases, pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery can be used as treatment strategies.

: Eating disorders (ED) are associated with multiple physical complications that strongly affect the physical health of these young and fragile patients and can also cause significant mortality, the highest among psychiatric pathologies. Among the various organic complications, albeit still little known, the gynecological implications, up to infertility, are very widespread. Among adolescent and adult patients, gynecological symptoms can be very widespread and range from menstrual irregularities to amenorrhea, from vaginitis to ovarian polycystosis, up to complications during the gestational phase and postpartum, in addition to the possible consequences on the unborn child. Among the most frequent and significant gynecological disorders in women with ED, there are menstrual irregularities that may occur with oligomenorrhea or even amenorrhea. , Although no longer part of the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for defining anorexia nervosa (AN), this symptom must be considered a very relevant event in the overall evaluation of young women and adolescents with eating disorders. Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea in ED patients is related to psychological distress, excessive exercise, disordered eating, or a combination of these factors, which results in suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, and consequently, hypoestrogenism. This paper has the objective to summarize the causes and the mechanism underlying menstrual disorders and provide a better understanding of the correlation between the reproductive system and the mechanisms that regulate food intake and eating habits. In addition, early recognition of risk factors for eating disorders for gynecological implications can help put more accurate assessments of patients to prevent potentially fatal complications. The importance of the involvement of specialist gynecologists in the multidisciplinary team that has to follow patients with eating disorders is also discussed.