From genetics and epigenetics to the future of precision treatment for obesity

Sun, Xulong; Li, Pengzhou; Yang, Xiangwu; Li, Weizheng; Qiu, Xianjie; Zhu, Shaihong

doi:10.1093/gastro/gox033

Cited by 35 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Recently the role of epigenetic factors in the development of obesity has emerged ( 71 ). The epigenetic phenomenon may alter gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence.…”

Section: Pathophysiology Of Obesitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood and Adolescent Obesity: A Review

2021

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Obesity is a complex condition that interweaves biological, developmental, environmental, behavioral, and genetic factors; it is a significant public health problem. The most common cause of obesity throughout childhood and adolescence is an inequity in energy balance; that is, excess caloric intake without appropriate caloric expenditure. Adiposity rebound (AR) in early childhood is a risk factor for obesity in adolescence and adulthood. The increasing prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity is associated with a rise in comorbidities previously identified in the adult population, such as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver disease (NAFLD), Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and Dyslipidemia. Due to the lack of a single treatment option to address obesity, clinicians have generally relied on counseling dietary changes and exercise. Due to psychosocial issues that may accompany adolescence regarding body habitus, this approach can have negative results. Teens can develop unhealthy eating habits that result in Bulimia Nervosa (BN), Binge- Eating Disorder (BED), or Night eating syndrome (NES). Others can develop Anorexia Nervosa (AN) as they attempt to restrict their diet and overshoot their goal of “being healthy.” To date, lifestyle interventions have shown only modest effects on weight loss. Emerging findings from basic science as well as interventional drug trials utilizing GLP-1 agonists have demonstrated success in effective weight loss in obese adults, adolescents, and pediatric patients. However, there is limited data on the efficacy and safety of other weight-loss medications in children and adolescents. Nearly 6% of adolescents in the United States are severely obese and bariatric surgery as a treatment consideration will be discussed. In summary, this paper will overview the pathophysiology, clinical, and psychological implications, and treatment options available for obese pediatric and adolescent patients.

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“…Recently the role of epigenetic factors in the development of obesity has emerged ( 71 ). The epigenetic phenomenon may alter gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence.…”

Section: Pathophysiology Of Obesitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Childhood and Adolescent Obesity: A Review

2021

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“…However, it should be reminded that obesity is a very complex condition that cannot only be reduced to an unhealthy diet. While it is generally agreed that obesity is a result of an imbalance between the calories consumed and expended (World Health Organization, 2017c ), as many other medical conditions, it also depends on environmental and genetics factors (see e.g., Sun et al, 2017 ). Recently, studies (e.g., Naseer et al, 2014 ) pointed out the important role of gut microbial environments in relation to obesity and diabetes in human beings and that gut microbiotal environments depend on a complex interplay between ethnicity, genetics, dietary habits and history of medication (Meijnikman et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Being Embodied in an Obese Virtual Body on Shopping Behavior and Products Perception in VR

et al. 2018

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Research in Virtual Reality (VR) showed that embodiment can influence participants' perceptions and behavior when embodied in a different yet plausible virtual body. In this paper, we study the changes an obese virtual body has on products perception (e.g., taste, etc.) and purchase behavior (e.g., number purchased) in an immersive virtual retail store. Participants (of a normal BMI on average) were embodied in a normal (N) or an obese (OB) virtual body and were asked to buy and evaluate food products in the immersive virtual store. Based on stereotypes that are classically associated with obese people, we expected that the group embodied in obese avatars would show a more unhealthy diet, (i.e., buy more food products and also buy more products with high energy intake, or saturated fat) and would rate unhealthy food as being tastier and healthier than participants embodied in “normal weight” avatars. Our participants also rated the perception of their virtual body: the OB group perceived their virtual body as significantly heavier and older. They also rated their sense of embodiment and presence within the immersive virtual store. These measures did not show any significant difference between groups. Finally, we asked them to rate different food products in terms of tastiness, healthiness, sustainability and price. The only difference we noticed is that participants embodied in an obese avatar (OB group) rated the coke as being significantly tastier and the apple as being significantly healthier. Nevertheless, while we hypothesized that participants embodied in a virtual body with obesity would show differences in their shopping patterns (e.g., more “unhealthy” products bought) there were no significant differences between the groups. Stereotype activation failed for our participants embodied in obese avatars, who did not exhibit a shopping behavior following the (negative) stereotypes related to obese people. conversely, while the opposite hypothesis (participants embodied in obese avatars would buy significantly more healthy products in order to “transform” their virtual bodies) could have been made, it was not the case either. We discuss these results and propose hypotheses as to why the behavior of the manipulated group differed from the one we expected. Indeed, unlike previous research, our participants were embodied in virtual avatars which differed greatly from their real bodies. Obese avatars should not only modify users' visual characteristics such as hair or skin color, etc. We hypothesize that an obese virtual body may require some other non-visual stimulus, e.g., the sensation of the extra weight or the change in body size. This main difference could then explain why we did not notice any important modification on participants' behavior and perceptions of food products. We also hypothesize that the absence of stereotype activation and thus of statistical difference between our N and OB groups might be due to higher-level cognitive processes involved while purchasing food p...

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“…Epigenetics, the interaction between genes and the environment is perhaps an even more promising unexplored possibility for obesity therapeutics than genetics because epigenetic changes happen before genetic changes, and they are reversible [59,60]. Our previous review covers epigenetic modifying drugs that address obesity and metabolic syndrome by targeting histone acetylation, DNA methylation, and sirtuin activation [59].…”

Section: Epigenetic and Microrna Therapeuticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promises of Nanotherapeutics in Obesity

Ash

Kim

Choudhury

2019

Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism

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The application of nanotechnology to medicine promises a wide range of new tools and possibilities, from earlier diagnostics and improved imaging to better, more efficient, and more targeted therapies. This emerging field could help address obesity, with advances in drug delivery, nutraceuticals, and genetic and epigenetic therapeutics. Its application to obesity is still largely in the development phase. Here, we review the novel angle of nanotech applied to human consumable products, and their specific applications to addressing obesity through nutraceuticals, with respect to benefits and limitations of current nanotechnology methods. Further, we review potential future applications to deliver genetic and epigenetic-microRNA therapeutics. Finally, we discuss future directions, including theranostics, combinatory therapy, and personalized medicine.

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From genetics and epigenetics to the future of precision treatment for obesity

Cited by 35 publications

References 54 publications

Childhood and Adolescent Obesity: A Review

Childhood and Adolescent Obesity: A Review

Influence of Being Embodied in an Obese Virtual Body on Shopping Behavior and Products Perception in VR

Promises of Nanotherapeutics in Obesity

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