Interaction of obesity and inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of unknown etiology that is thought to result from a combination of genetic, immunologic and environmental factors. The incidence of IBD has been increasing in recent decades, especially in developing and developed nations, and this is hypothesized to be in part related to the change in dietary and lifestyle factors associated with modernization. The prevalence of obesity has risen in parallel with the rise in IBD, suggesting a possible shared environmental link between these two conditions. Studies have shown that obesity impacts disease development and response to therapy in patients with IBD and other autoimmune conditions. The observation that adipose tissue produces pro-inflammatory adipokines provides a potential mechanism for the observed epidemiologic links between obesity and IBD, and this has developed into an active area of investigative inquiry. Additionally, emerging evidence highlights a role for the intestinal microbiota in the development of both obesity and IBD, representing another potential mechanistic connection between the two conditions. In this review we discuss the epidemiology of obesity and IBD, possible pathophysiologic links, and the clinical impact of obesity on IBD disease course and implications for management.

Deleterious Metabolic Effects of High Fructose Intake: The Preventive Effect of Lactobacillus kefiri Administration

“…Alterations caused by environmental factors on gut microbiota composition could lead to host metabolic disorders, as has been observed in both obese humans and rodents [41,42,43]. Since probiotics modulate gut microbiota and also affect host metabolism, the use of probiotics has been associated with several metabolic improvements in obese phenotypes [40,44].…”

Protective Effects of Fluvastatin on Reproductive Function in Obese Male Rats Induced by High-Fat Diet through Enhanced Signaling of mTOR

“…This is not only associated with a variety of chronic diseases, such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, but has also been demonstrated to have hazardous effects on the reproductive system and fertility [2][3][4][5]. Moreover, obesity can affect male infertility by affecting spermatogenesis, thus reducing fertilization rate [5][6][7][8][9].…”

Modifiable Environmental Factors in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…156 In prospective cohorts, a higher body mass index was associated with the development of CD but not UC. 157, 158 The pro-inflammatory state promoted by obesity may contribute to a skewed CD4+ T-cell population leading to expansion of Th17 T-cells, inflammatory mediators associated with IBD.…”