1 4711 137 NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE IN OBESE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: A ROLE FOR NUTRITION? NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) HAS BECOME THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE IN CHILDREN, PARALLELING THE INCREASING PREVALENCE OF OBESITY WORLDWIDE. THE PATHOGENESIS OF PAEDIATRIC NAFLD IS NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD, BUT IT IS KNOWN THAT OBESITY, NUTRITION, LIFESTYLE VARIABLES, GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS MAY BE CAUSALLY INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS COMMON METABOLIC LIVER DISEASE. IN PARTICULAR, OBESITY AND NUTRITION ARE AMONG THE STRONGEST RISK FACTORS FOR PAEDIATRIC NAFLD, WHICH MAY EXERT THEIR ADVERSE HEPATIC EFFECTS ALREADY BEFORE BIRTH. EXCESS ENERGY INTAKE INDUCES HYPERTROPHY AND HYPERPLASIA OF ADIPOSE TISSUE WITH SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF SYSTEMIC INSULIN RESISTANCE, WHICH IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR NAFLD. DIET COMPOSITION AND IN PARTICULAR SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE (ESPECIALLY HIGH FRUCTOSE INTAKE) MAY PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD, WHEREAS NON-DIGESTIBLE CARBOHYDRATES (DIETARY FIBER), BY AFFECTING GUT MICROBIOTA, MAY FAVOUR THE INTEGRITY OF GUT WALL AND REDUCE INFLAMMATION, OPPOSING THIS PROCESS. SATURATED FAT INTAKE MAY ALSO PROMOTE NAFLD DEVELOPMENT, WHEREAS UNSATURATED FAT INTAKE HAS SOME BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. PROTEIN INTAKE DOES NOT SEEM TO AFFECT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD, BUT FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED. IN CONCLUSION, LIFESTYLE MODIFICATIONS TO INDUCE WEIGHT LOSS, THROUGH DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, REMAIN THE MAINSTAY OF TREATMENT FOR PAEDIATRIC NAFLD. THE USE OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS, SUCH AS OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS AND PROBIOTICS, NEEDS FURTHER STUDY BEFORE RECOMMENDATION. 2022 2 3359 27 HISTONE H4 LYSINE 16 ACETYLATION CONTROLS CENTRAL CARBON METABOLISM AND DIET-INDUCED OBESITY IN MICE. NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS) ACCOUNT FOR OVER 70% OF DEATHS WORLD-WIDE. PREVIOUS WORK HAS LINKED NCDS SUCH AS TYPE 2 DIABETES (T2D) TO DISRUPTION OF CHROMATIN REGULATORS. HOWEVER, THE EXACT MOLECULAR ORIGINS OF THESE CHRONIC CONDITIONS REMAIN ELUSIVE. HERE, WE IDENTIFY THE H4 LYSINE 16 ACETYLTRANSFERASE MOF AS A CRITICAL REGULATOR OF CENTRAL CARBON METABOLISM. HIGH-THROUGHPUT METABOLOMICS UNVEIL A SYSTEMIC AMINO ACID AND CARBOHYDRATE IMBALANCE IN MOF DEFICIENT MICE, MANIFESTING IN T2D PREDISPOSITION. ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TESTING (OGTT) REVEALS DEFECTS IN GLUCOSE ASSIMILATION AND INSULIN SECRETION IN THESE ANIMALS. FURTHERMORE, MOF DEFICIENT MICE ARE RESISTANT TO DIET-INDUCED FAT GAIN DUE TO DEFECTS IN GLUCOSE UPTAKE IN ADIPOSE TISSUE. MOF-MEDIATED H4K16AC DEPOSITION CONTROLS EXPRESSION OF THE MASTER REGULATOR OF GLUCOSE METABOLISM, PPARG AND THE ENTIRE DOWNSTREAM TRANSCRIPTIONAL NETWORK. GLUCOSE UPTAKE AND LIPID STORAGE CAN BE RECONSTITUTED IN MOF-DEPLETED ADIPOCYTES IN VITRO BY ECTOPIC GLUT4 EXPRESSION, PPARGAMMA AGONIST THIAZOLIDINEDIONE (TZD) TREATMENT OR SIRT1 INHIBITION. HENCE, CHRONIC IMBALANCE IN H4K16AC PROMOTES A DESTABILISATION OF METABOLISM TRIGGERING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A METABOLIC DISORDER, AND ITS MAINTENANCE PROVIDES AN UNPRECEDENTED REGULATORY EPIGENETIC MECHANISM CONTROLLING DIET-INDUCED OBESITY. 2021 3 1398 41 DIET, GUT MICROBIOME AND EPIGENETICS: EMERGING LINKS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES AND PROSPECTS FOR MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES (IBD) REPRESENT A GROWING PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN DUE TO INCREASING INCIDENCE WORLDWIDE. THE CURRENT NOTION ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF IBD IS THAT GENETICALLY SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUALS DEVELOP INTOLERANCE TO DYSREGULATED GUT MICROFLORA (DYSBIOSIS) AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION DEVELOPS AS A RESULT OF ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS. AMONG THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH IBD, DIET PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN MODULATING THE GUT MICROBIOME, INFLUENCING EPIGENETIC CHANGES, AND, THEREFORE, COULD BE APPLIED AS A THERAPEUTIC TOOL TO IMPROVE THE DISEASE COURSE. NEVERTHELESS, THE CURRENT DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DISEASE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT ARE SCARCE AND HAVE WEAK EVIDENCE. THIS REVIEW SUMMARISES THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON THE COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN DIET, MICROBIOME AND EPIGENETICS IN IBD. WHEREAS AN OVERABUNDANCE OF CALORIES AND SOME MACRONUTRIENTS INCREASE GUT INFLAMMATION, SEVERAL MICRONUTRIENTS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MODULATE IT. IMMUNONUTRITION HAS EMERGED AS A NEW CONCEPT PUTTING FORWARD THE IMPORTANCE OF VITAMINS SUCH AS VITAMINS A, C, E, AND D, FOLIC ACID, BETA CAROTENE AND TRACE ELEMENTS SUCH AS ZINC, SELENIUM, MANGANESE AND IRON. HOWEVER, WHEN ASSESSED IN CLINICAL TRIALS, SPECIFIC MICRONUTRIENTS EXERTED A LIMITED BENEFIT. BEYOND NUTRIENTS, AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIETARY PATTERN AS A COMPLEX INTERVENTION APPROACH HAS BECOME POPULAR IN RECENT YEARS. HENCE, EXCLUSIVE ENTERAL NUTRITION IN PAEDIATRIC CROHN'S DISEASE IS THE ONLY NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION CURRENTLY RECOMMENDED AS A FIRST-LINE THERAPY. OTHER NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS OR SPECIFIC DIETS INCLUDING THE SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATE DIET (SCD), THE LOW FERMENTABLE OLIGOSACCHARIDES, DISACCHARIDES, MONOSACCHARIDES, AND POLYOL (FODMAP) DIET AND, MOST RECENTLY, THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET HAVE SHOWN STRONG ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES AND SHOW PROMISE FOR IMPROVING DISEASE SYMPTOMS. MORE WORK IS REQUIRED TO EVALUATE THE ROLE OF INDIVIDUAL FOOD COMPOUNDS AND COMPLEX NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS WITH THE POTENTIAL TO DECREASE INFLAMMATION AS A MEANS OF PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF IBD. 2017 4 2699 42 EXCESS BODY WEIGHT: NOVEL INSIGHTS INTO ITS ROLES IN OBESITY COMORBIDITIES. EXCESS BODY WEIGHT IS A GLOBAL HEALTH PROBLEM DUE TO SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AND UNHEALTHY DIET, AFFECTING 2 BILLION POPULATION WORLDWIDE. OBESITY IS A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR METABOLIC DISEASES. NOTABLY, THE METABOLIC RISK OF OBESITY LARGELY DEPENDS ON BODY WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION, OF WHICH VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUES BUT NOT SUBCUTANEOUS FATS ARE CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY COMORBIDITIES, INCLUDING TYPE 2 DIABETES, NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND CERTAIN TYPES OF CANCER. LATEST MULTI-OMICS AND MECHANISTICAL STUDIES REPORTED THE CRUCIAL INVOLVEMENT OF GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, ADIPOKINES DYSREGULATION, IMMUNITY CHANGES, IMBALANCE OF WHITE AND BROWN ADIPOSE TISSUES, AND GUT MICROBIAL DYSBIOSIS IN MEDIATING THE PATHOGENIC ASSOCIATION BETWEEN VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUES AND COMORBIDITIES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE EXPLORE THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF EXCESS BODY WEIGHT AND THE UP-TO-DATE MECHANISM OF HOW EXCESS BODY WEIGHT AND OBESITY LEAD TO CHRONIC COMPLICATIONS. WE ALSO EXAMINE THE UTILIZATION OF VISCERAL FAT MEASUREMENT AS AN ACCURATE CLINICAL PARAMETER FOR RISK ASSESSMENT IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS AND CLINICAL OUTCOME PREDICTION IN OBESE SUBJECTS. IN ADDITION, CURRENT APPROACHES FOR THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF EXCESS BODY WEIGHT AND ITS RELATED METABOLIC COMORBIDITIES ARE FURTHER DISCUSSED. 2023 5 44 38 A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON HIGH -FAT DIET-INDUCED DIABETES MELLITUS: AN EPIGENETIC VIEW. MODERN LIFESTYLE, GENETICS, NUTRITIONAL OVERLOAD THROUGH HIGH-FAT DIET ATTRIBUTED PREVALENCE AND DIABETES OUTCOMES WITH VARIOUS COMPLICATIONS PRIMARILY DUE TO OBESITY IN WHICH ENERGY-DENSE DIETS FREQUENTLY AFFECT METABOLIC HEALTH. ONE POSSIBLE ISSUE USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH ELEVATED CHRONIC FAT INTAKE IS INSULIN RESISTANCE, AND HYPERGLYCEMIA CONSTITUTES AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION IN ALTERING THE CARBOHYDRATES AND LIPIDS METABOLISM. SIMILARLY, IN ASSESSING HUMAN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO WEIGHT GAIN AND OBESITY, GENETIC VARIATIONS PLAY A CENTRAL ROLE, CONTRIBUTING TO KEEN INTEREST IN IDENTIFYING THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF EPIGENETICS AS A MEDIATOR OF GENE-ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS INFLUENCING THE PRODUCTION OF TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AND ITS RELATED CONCERNS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACCEPTANCE OF A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS FACTORS IN RESPONSE TO ENERGY INTAKE AND EXPENDITURE IMBALANCES COMPLEMENT GENETIC ALTERATIONS AND LEAD TO THE PRODUCTION AND ADVANCEMENT OF METABOLIC DISORDERS SUCH AS DIABETES AND OBESITY. METHYLATION OF DNA, HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, AND INCREASES IN THE EXPRESSION OF NON-CODING RNAS CAN RESULT IN REDUCED TRANSCRIPTIONAL ACTIVITY OF KEY BETA-CELL GENES THUS CREATING INSULIN RESISTANCE. EPIGENETICS CONTRIBUTE TO CHANGES IN THE EXPRESSION OF THE UNDERLYING INSULIN RESISTANCE AND INSUFFICIENCY GENE NETWORKS, ALONG WITH LOW-GRADE OBESITY-RELATED INFLAMMATION, INCREASED ROS GENERATION, AND DNA DAMAGE IN MULTIORGANS. THIS REVIEW FOCUSED ON EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND METABOLIC REGULATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH-FAT DIET (HFD)-INDUCED DIABETES MELLITUS. 2022 6 4795 45 NUTRITIONAL GENOMICS IN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE. NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS A COMMON CHRONIC CONDITION ASSOCIATED WITH GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN WHICH FAT ABNORMALLY ACCUMULATES IN THE LIVER. NAFLD IS EPIDEMIOLOGICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY, TYPE 2 DIABETES, AND DYSLIPIDEMIA. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS PHYSICAL INACTIVITY AND AN UNBALANCED DIET, INTERACT WITH GENETIC FACTORS, SUCH AS EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AND POLYMORPHISMS FOR THE GENESIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONDITION. DIFFERENT GENETIC POLYMORPHISMS SEEM TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS CONTEXT, INCLUDING VARIANTS IN PNPLA3, TM6SF2, PEMT, AND CHDH GENES, PLAYING A ROLE IN THE DISEASE'S SUSCEPTIBILITY, DEVELOPMENT, AND SEVERITY. FROM CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE AND WEIGHT LOSS TO OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTATION AND CALORIC RESTRICTION, DIFFERENT DIETARY AND NUTRITIONAL FACTORS APPEAR TO BE INVOLVED IN CONTROLLING THE ONSET AND PROGRESSION OF NAFLD CONDITIONS INFLUENCING METABOLISM, GENE, AND PROTEIN EXPRESSION. THE POLYGENIC RISK SCORE REPRESENTS A SUM OF TRAIT-ASSOCIATED ALLELES CARRIED BY AN INDIVIDUAL AND SEEMS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH NAFLD OUTCOMES DEPENDING ON THE DIETARY CONTEXT. UNDERSTANDING THE EXACT EXTENT TO WHICH LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS AND GENETIC PREDISPOSITIONS CAN PLAY A ROLE IN THE PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF NAFLD CAN BE CRUCIAL FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERSONALIZED AND INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO PATIENTS. 2023 7 4779 38 NUTRIENTS, GENETIC FACTORS, AND THEIR INTERACTION IN NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE IN WESTERN COUNTRIES AND EXPOSE PATIENTS TO INCREASED RISK OF HEPATIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR (CV) MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND GENETIC PREDISPOSITION CONTRIBUTE TO THE RISK. AN INAPPROPRIATE DIET, RICH IN REFINED CARBOHYDRATES, ESPECIALLY FRUCTOSE, AND SATURATED FATS, AND POOR IN FIBERS, POLYUNSATURATED FATS, AND VITAMINS IS ONE OF THE MAIN KEY FACTORS, AS WELL AS THE POLYMORPHISM OF PATATIN-LIKE PHOSPHOLIPASE DOMAIN CONTAINING 3 (PNPLA3 GENE) FOR NAFLD AND THE APOLIPOPROTEINS AND THE PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR (PPAR) FAMILY FOR THE CARDIOVASCULAR DAMAGE. BEYOND GENETIC INFLUENCE, ALSO EPIGENETICS MODIFICATIONS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR VARIOUS CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF BOTH HEPATIC AND CV DISEASE. INTERESTINGLY, DATA ARE ACCUMULATING ON THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN DIET AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, MODULATING PATHOGENETIC PATHWAYS IN NAFLD AND CV DISEASE. WE REPORT THE MAIN EVIDENCE FROM LITERATURE ON THE INFLUENCE OF BOTH MACRO AND MICRONUTRIENTS IN NAFLD AND CV DAMAGE AND THE ROLE OF GENETICS EITHER ALONE OR COMBINED WITH DIET IN INCREASING THE RISK OF DEVELOPING BOTH DISEASES. UNDERSTANDING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN METABOLIC ALTERATIONS, GENETICS AND DIET ARE ESSENTIAL TO TREAT THE DISEASES AND TAILORING NUTRITIONAL THERAPY TO CONTROL NAFLD AND CV RISK. 2020 8 74 46 A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH AND CURRENT PERSPECTIVE OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. IN RECENT TIMES, NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) HAS BEEN CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MAJOR CAUSES OF LIVER DISEASE ACROSS THE WORLD. NAFLD IS DEFINED AS THE DEPOSITION OF TRIGLYCERIDES IN THE LIVER AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH OBESITY AND METABOLIC SYNDROME. HYPERINSULINEMIA, INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR), FATTY LIVER, HEPATOCYTE INJURY, UNBALANCED PROINFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION, OXIDATIVE STRESS, LIVER INFLAMMATION, AND FIBROSIS ARE THE MAIN PATHOGENESIS IN NAFLD. RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST THAT THE ACTION OF INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA THROUGH CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, INCREASED INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY, AND ENERGY UPTAKE PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN NAFLD. MOREOVER, POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME ALSO CAUSES NAFLD DEVELOPMENT THROUGH IR. AGE, GENDER, RACE, ETHNICITY, SLEEP, DIET, SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC PATHWAYS ARE SOME CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OF NAFLD THAT CAN EXACERBATE THE RISK OF LIVER CIRRHOSIS AND HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA (HCC) AND EVENTUALLY LEAD TO DEATH. NAFLD HAS VARIOUS PRESENTATIONS, INCLUDING FATIGUE, UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT LOSS, BLOATING, UPPER ABDOMINAL PAIN, DECREASED APPETITE, HEADACHE, ANXIETY, POOR SLEEP, INCREASED THIRST, PALPITATION, AND A FEELING OF WARMTH. SOME STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT NAFLD WITH SEVERE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) HAS POOR OUTCOMES. THE GOLD STANDARD FOR NAFLD DIAGNOSIS IS LIVER BIOPSY. OTHER DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS ARE IMAGING TESTS, SERUM BIOMARKERS, MICROBIOTA MARKERS, AND TESTS FOR EXTRAHEPATIC COMPLICATIONS. THERE ARE NO SPECIFIC TREATMENTS FOR NAFLD. THEREFORE, THE MAIN CONCERN FOR NAFLD IS TREATING THE COMORBID CONDITIONS SUCH AS ANTI-DIABETIC AGENTS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, STATINS TO REDUCE HCC PROGRESSION, ANTIOXIDANTS TO PREVENT HEPATOCELLULAR DAMAGE, AND BARIATRIC SURGERY FOR PATIENTS WITH A BMI OF >40 KG/M(2) AND >35 KG/M(2) WITH COMORBIDITIES. LIFESTYLE AND DIETARY CHANGES ARE CONSIDERED PREVENTIVE STRATEGIES AGAINST NAFLD ADVANCEMENT. INADEQUATE TREATMENT OF NAFLD FURTHER LEADS TO CARDIAC CONSEQUENCES, SLEEP APNEA, CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE, AND INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE. IN THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW, WE HAVE BRIEFLY DISCUSSED THE RISK FACTORS, PATHOGENESIS, CLINICAL FEATURES, AND NUMEROUS CONSEQUENCES OF NAFLD. WE HAVE ALSO REVIEWED VARIOUS GUIDELINES FOR NAFLD DIAGNOSIS ALONG WITH EXISTING THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION OF THE DISEASE. 2022 9 3882 28 KETONE BODIES AS METABOLITES AND SIGNALLING MOLECULES AT THE CROSSROAD BETWEEN INFLAMMATION AND EPIGENETIC CONTROL OF CARDIOMETABOLIC DISORDERS. FOR MANY YEARS, IT HAS BEEN CLEAR THAT A WESTERN DIET RICH IN SATURATED FATS AND SUGARS PROMOTES AN INFLAMMATORY ENVIRONMENT PREDISPOSING A PERSON TO CHRONIC CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES. IN PARALLEL, THE EMERGENCE OF KETOGENIC DIETS, DEPRIVED OF CARBOHYDRATES AND PROMOTING THE SYNTHESIS OF KETONE BODIES IMITATING THE METABOLIC EFFECTS OF FASTING, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO PROVIDE A POSSIBLE NUTRITIONAL SOLUTION TO ALLEVIATING DISEASES TRIGGERED BY AN INFLAMMATORY ENVIRONMENT. THE MAIN KETONE BODY, BETA-HYDROXYBUTYRATE (BHB), ACTS AS AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL, AND ALSO AS A SUBSTRATE FOR A NOVEL HISTONE POST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATION, BETA-HYDROXYBUTYRYLATION. BETA-HYDROXYBUTYRYLATION INFLUENCES THE STATE OF CHROMATIN ARCHITECTURE AND PROMOTES THE TRANSCRIPTION OF MULTIPLE GENES. BHB HAS ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO MODULATE INFLAMMATION IN CHRONIC DISEASES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS, IN THE PATHOLOGICAL CONTEXT OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISKS, THE CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF HOW KETONE BODIES, OR A KETOGENIC DIET, ARE ABLE TO MODULATE, TRIGGER, OR INHIBIT INFLAMMATION AND HOW THE EPIGENOME AND CHROMATIN REMODELING MAY BE A KEY CONTRIBUTOR. 2022 10 2801 32 FEMALE OBESITY: SHORT- AND LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES ON THE OFFSPRING. THE WORLDWIDE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY HAS RISEN OVER THE PAST FEW DECADES AND WOMEN ARE CURRENTLY MORE LIKELY THAN EVER TO ENTER PREGNANCY OBESE. PRE-PREGNANCY OBESITY AND EXCESSIVE GESTATIONAL WEIGHT GAIN INCREASE MISCARRIAGE RATES AND OBSTETRIC AND NEONATAL COMPLICATIONS, WHICH RESULT IN A LOWER HEALTHY LIVE BIRTH RATE. IN ADDITION TO ITS NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE MOTHER, OBESITY HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR CHRONIC ILLNESSES, SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, METABOLIC SYNDROME AND TYPE 2 DIABETES IN THE ADOLESCENCE AND ADULTHOOD OF THE OFFSPRING. MOREOVER, MATERNAL OBESITY CAUSES PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS, PHYSICAL DISABILITIES AND HIGHER HEALTHCARE COSTS. FETAL PROGRAMMING OF METABOLIC FUNCTION INDUCED BY OBESITY, THROUGH PHYSIOLOGICAL AND/OR EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, MAY HAVE AN INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECT AND COULD, THUS, PERPETUATE OBESITY IN THE NEXT GENERATION. IN ORDER TO BREAK THIS VICIOUS CIRCLE AND AVOID SERIOUS SHORT- AND LONG-TERM NEGATIVE OUTCOMES FOR BOTH MOTHERS AND FETUSES, THE PREVENTION AND ADEQUATE MANAGEMENT OF OBESITY AND GESTATIONAL WEIGHT GAIN ARE ESSENTIAL. 2013 11 4271 45 MICROBIAL DYSBIOSIS-INDUCED OBESITY: ROLE OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN HOMOEOSTASIS OF ENERGY METABOLISM. THE GLOBAL OBESITY EPIDEMIC HAS NECESSITATED THE SEARCH FOR BETTER INTERVENTION STRATEGIES INCLUDING THE EXPLOITATION OF THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF SOME GUT MICROBIOTA AND THEIR METABOLIC PRODUCTS. THEREFORE, WE EXAMINED THE GUT MICROBIAL COMPOSITION AND MECHANISMS OF INTERACTION WITH THE HOST IN RELATION TO HOMOEOSTATIC ENERGY METABOLISM AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF DYSBIOSIS-INDUCED METABOLIC INFLAMMATION AND OBESITY. WE ALSO DISCUSSED THE EUBIOTIC, HEALTH-PROMOTING EFFECTS OF PROBIOTICS AND PREBIOTICS AS WELL AS EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH GUT MICROBIAL DYSBIOSIS AND RISK OF OBESITY. HIGH-FAT/CARBOHYDRATE DIET PROGRAMMES THE GUT MICROBIOTA TO ONE PREDOMINATED BY FIRMICUTES (CLOSTRIDIUM), PREVOTELLA AND METHANOBREVIBACTER BUT DEFICIENT IN BENEFICIAL GENERA/SPECIES SUCH AS BACTEROIDES, BIFIDOBACTERIUM, LACTOBACILLUS AND AKKERMANSIA. ALTERED GUT MICROBIOTA IS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED EXPRESSION OF SCFA THAT MAINTAIN INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL BARRIER INTEGRITY, REDUCE BACTERIAL TRANSLOCATION AND INFLAMMATION AND INCREASE EXPRESSION OF HUNGER-SUPPRESSING HORMONES. REDUCED AMOUNTS OF BENEFICIAL MICRO-ORGANISMS ALSO INHIBIT FASTING-INDUCED ADIPOCYTE FACTOR EXPRESSION LEADING TO DYSLIPIDAEMIA. A LOW-GRADE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION (METABOLIC ENDOTOXAEMIA) ENSUES WHICH CULMINATES IN OBESITY AND ITS CO-MORBIDITIES. THE SYNERGY OF HIGH-FAT DIET AND DYSBIOTIC GUT MICROBIOTA INITIATES A RECIPE THAT EPIGENETICALLY PROGRAMMES THE HOST FOR INCREASED ADIPOSITY AND POOR GLYCAEMIC CONTROL. INTERESTINGLY, THESE OBESOGENIC MECHANISTIC PATHWAYS THAT ARE TRANSMITTABLE FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER CAN BE MODULATED THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATION OF PROBIOTICS, PREBIOTICS AND SYNBIOTICS. THOUGH THE INFLUENCE OF GUT MICROBIOTA ON THE RISK OF OBESITY AND SEVERAL INTERVENTION STRATEGIES HAVE BEEN EXTENSIVELY DEMONSTRATED IN ANIMAL MODELS, APPLICATION IN HUMANS STILL REQUIRES FURTHER ROBUST INVESTIGATION. 2020 12 5460 35 RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES ON THE REGULATION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF FGF21 AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH NAFLD. FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTOR 21 (FGF21) IS A METABOLIC HORMONE PRIMARILY SECRETED FROM THE LIVER AND FUNCTIONS IN MULTIPLE TISSUES. VARIOUS TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS INDUCE FGF21 EXPRESSION IN THE LIVER, WHICH INDICATES THAT FGF21 IS A MEDIATOR OF MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTAL CUES. FGF21 ALTERS METABOLISM UNDER STARVATION CONDITIONS, PROTECTS THE BODY FROM ENERGY DEPLETION, AND EXTENDS LIFE SPAN. PHARMACOLOGICAL ADMINISTRATION OF FGF21 ALLEVIATES DYSLIPIDEMIA AND INDUCES WEIGHT LOSS IN OBESE ANIMALS. IN ADDITION TO THE WELL-STUDIED FUNCTIONS OF FG21, SEVERAL LINES OF RECENT EVIDENCE INDICATE A POSSIBLE LINK BETWEEN FGF21 AND NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD). HIGH SERUM LEVELS OF FGF21 ARE ASSOCIATED WITH NAFLD AND ITS RISK FACTORS, SUCH AS ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM STRESS AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATION. IN ADDITION, FGF21 ALLEVIATES THE MAJOR RISK FACTORS OF NAFLD, INCLUDING OBESITY, DYSLIPIDEMIA, AND INSULIN INSENSITIVITY. THUS, FGF21 IS A POTENTIAL DRUG CANDIDATE FOR DISEASES, SUCH AS NAFLD, DYSLIPIDEMIA, AND TYPE 2 DIABETES. IN THIS REVIEW, THE RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES OF FGF21 AND THERAPEUTIC POTENCIES OF FGF21 AS A MODULATOR OF NAFLD ARE SUMMARIZED. 2015 13 5366 39 RECENT ADVANCES IN LEAN NAFLD. AS THE PREDOMINANT TYPE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE, THE GROWING PREVALENCE OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) HAS BECOME A CONCERN WORLDWIDE. ALTHOUGH OBESITY PLAYS THE MOST PIVOTAL ROLE IN NAFLD, APPROXIMATELY 10-20% OF INDIVIDUALS WITH NAFLD WHO ARE NOT OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE (BMI < 25 KG/M2, OR BMI < 23 KG/M2 IN ASIANS) HAVE "LEAN NAFLD." LEAN INDIVIDUALS WITH NAFLD HAVE A LOWER PREVALENCE OF DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, HYPERTRIGLYCERIDEMIA, CENTRAL OBESITY, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME THAN NONLEAN INDIVIDUALS WITH NAFLD, BUT HIGHER FIBROSIS SCORES AND RATES OF CARDIOVASCULAR MORBIDITY AND ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY IN ADVANCED STAGES. THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF LEAN NAFLD REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT LEAN NAFLD IS MORE CORRELATED WITH FACTORS SUCH AS ENVIRONMENTAL, GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, AND EPIGENETIC REGULATION. THIS REVIEW WILL EXAMINE THE WAY IN WHICH THE RESEARCH PROGRESS AND CHARACTERISTIC OF LEAN NAFLD, AND EXPLORE THE FUNCTION OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION TO PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR THE CLINICAL TREATMENT AND DIAGNOSIS OF LEAN NAFLD. 2022 14 1939 42 EPIDEMIOLOGY AND (PATHO)PHYSIOLOGY OF FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENT USE IN OBESE WOMEN BEFORE AND DURING PREGNANCY. PRECONCEPTION FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENT USE IS A WELL-KNOWN METHOD OF PRIMARY PREVENTION OF NEURAL TUBE DEFECTS (NTDS). OBESE WOMEN ARE AT A HIGHER RISK FOR HAVING A CHILD WITH A NTD. AS DIFFERENT INTERNATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENT USE FOR OBESE WOMEN BEFORE AND DURING PREGNANCY EXIST, THIS NARRATIVE REVIEW PROVIDES AN OVERVIEW OF EPIDEMIOLOGY OF FOLATE DEFICIENCY IN OBESE (PRE)PREGNANT WOMEN, ELABORATES ON POTENTIAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING FOLATE DEFICIENCY, AND DISCUSSES CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE USAGE OF HIGHER DOSES OF FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTS. WOMEN WITH OBESITY MORE OFTEN SUFFER FROM AN ABSOLUTE FOLATE DEFICIENCY, AS THEY ARE LESS COMPLIANT TO PERICONCEPTIONAL FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENT USE RECOMMENDATIONS. IN ADDITION, THEIR DIETARY FOLATE INTAKE IS LIMITED DUE TO AN UNBALANCED DIET (RELATIVE MALNUTRITION). THE ASSOCIATION OF OBESITY AND NTDS ALSO SEEMS TO BE INDEPENDENT OF FOLATE INTAKE, WITH STUDIES SUGGESTING AN INCREASED NEED OF FOLATE (RELATIVE DEFICIENCY) DUE TO DERANGEMENTS INVOLVED IN OTHER PATHWAYS. THE RELATIVE FOLATE DEFICIENCY, AS A RESULT OF AN INCREASED METABOLIC NEED FOR FOLATE IN OBESE WOMEN, CAN BE DUE TO: (1) LOW-GRADE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION (2) INSULIN RESISTANCE, (3) INOSITOL, AND (4) DYSBIOTIC GUT MICROBIOME, WHICH PLAYS A ROLE IN FOLATE PRODUCTION AND UPTAKE. IN ALL THESE PATHWAYS, THE FOLATE-DEPENDENT ONE-CARBON METABOLISM IS INVOLVED. IN CONCLUSION, SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE OF THE INVOLVEMENT OF SEVERAL FOLATE-RELATED PATHWAYS IMPLIES TO INCREASE THE RECOMMENDED FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION IN OBESE WOMEN. HOWEVER, THE PHYSIOLOGICAL UPTAKE OF SYNTHETIC FOLIC ACID IS LIMITED AND SIDE-EFFECTS OF UNMETABOLIZED FOLIC ACID IN MOTHERS AND OFFSPRING, IN PARTICULAR VARIATIONS IN EPIGENETIC (RE)PROGRAMMING WITH LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS, CANNOT BE EXCLUDED. THEREFORE, WE EMPHASIZE ON THE URGENT NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH AND PRECONCEPTION PERSONALIZED COUNSELING ON FOLATE STATUS, LIFESTYLE, AND MEDICAL CONDITIONS. 2021 15 1373 34 DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGINS OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE. OBESE PREGNANT WOMEN MAY TRANSMIT THEIR METABOLIC PHENOTYPE TO OFFSPRING, LEADING TO A CYCLE OF OBESITY AND DIABETES OVER GENERATIONS. EARLY CHILDHOOD OBESITY PREDICTS NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD), THE MOST COMMON CHRONIC HUMAN LIVER DISEASE. THE FETUS MAY BE VULNERABLE TO STEATOSIS BECAUSE IMMATURE FETAL ADIPOSE DEPOTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE TO BUFFER THE EXCESS TRANSPLACENTAL LIPID DELIVERY IN MATERNAL OBESITY. IN ANIMAL MODELS, IN UTERO HIGH-FAT DIET EXPOSURE RESULTS IN AN INCREASE IN THE ACCUMULATION OF LIVER TRIGLYCERIDES IN OFFSPRING AND INCREASED HEPATIC OXIDATIVE STRESS AND APOPTOSIS, PERHAPS PRIMING THE LIVER FOR LATER DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD. INNATE IMMUNE DYSFUNCTION AND NECROINFLAMMATORY CHANGES HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN POSTNATAL OFFSPRING LIVER OF ANIMALS BORN TO HIGH-FAT-FED DAMS. POSTWEANING, LIVERS OF OFFSPRING EXPOSED TO MATERNAL HIGH-FAT FEEDING IN UTERO SHARE PATHOPHYSIOLOGIC FEATURES WITH HUMAN NAFLD, INCLUDING INCREASED DE NOVO LIPOGENESIS AND DECREASED FREE FATTY ACID OXIDATION. HUMAN STUDIES USING MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING HAVE SHOWN THAT MATERNAL BMI PREDICTS INFANT INTRAHEPATOCELLULAR LIPID STORAGE, AS SEEN IN ANIMAL MODELS. THE GENERATIONAL TRANSFER OF NAFLD MAY OCCUR VIA EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN OFFSPRING LIVER. TRANSMISSION OF MICROBIOTA FROM MOTHER TO INFANT MAY IMPACT ENERGY RETENTION AND IMMUNE FUNCTION THAT CONTRIBUTE TO A PREDISPOSITION TO NAFLD. 2014 16 4188 48 METABOLIC ASSOCIATED FATTY LIVER DISEASE IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: MECHANISMS OF A SILENT EPIDEMIC AND THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS. NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS NOW IDENTIFIED AS A HEPATIC SIGN OF METABOLIC SYNDROME AND IS THE MOST FREQUENT CAUSE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE IN ALL AGES. IT IS ASSUMED THAT A GENETIC PREDISPOSITION ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC FACTORS PARTICIPATES IN THE EVOLUTION OF THIS CONDITION. VISCERAL OBESITY AND INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR) HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSATIVE FACTORS OF METABOLIC SYNDROME (METS) AND NAFLD, BUT CURRENTLY, THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GENETIC HERITAGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IS INCREASINGLY CONSIDERED FUNDAMENTAL IN THE GENESIS OF METABOLIC DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH NAFLD. IN FACT, IN PATIENTS WITH NAFLD, INSULIN RESISTANCE, ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION, ABDOMINAL OBESITY, DYSLIPIDEMIA AND REDUCED INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY HAVE OFTEN BEEN FOUND, AS WELL AS A HIGHER PREVALENCE OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA, POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME AND OSTEOPENIA, WHICH DEFINE A METS FRAMEWORK. EARLY DIAGNOSIS IS NEEDED TO PREVENT DISEASE PROGRESSION THROUGH PRIMARILY LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, AT PRESENT, THERE ARE NO MOLECULES RECOMMENDED FOR PEDIATRIC PATIENTS. HOWEVER, SEVERAL NEW DRUGS ARE IN CLINICAL TRIALS. FOR THIS REASON, TARGETED STUDIES ON THE INTERACTION BETWEEN GENETICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD AND METS AND ON THE PATHOGENETIC MECHANISMS THAT DETERMINE THE EVOLUTION IN NON-ALCOHOLIC STEATOHEPATITIS (NASH), SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED. THEREFORE, IT IS DESIRABLE THAT FUTURE STUDIES MAY BE USEFUL IN IDENTIFYING PATIENTS AT RISK OF DEVELOPING NAFLD AND METS EARLY. 2023 17 2862 45 FRUCTOSE-MEDIATED EFFECTS ON GENE EXPRESSION AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH NAFLD PATHOGENESIS. NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) IS A CHRONIC, FREQUENTLY PROGRESSIVE CONDITION THAT DEVELOPS IN RESPONSE TO EXCESSIVE HEPATOCYTE FAT ACCUMULATION (I.E., STEATOSIS) IN THE ABSENCE OF SIGNIFICANT ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. LIVER STEATOSIS DEVELOPS AS A RESULT OF IMBALANCED LIPID METABOLISM, DRIVEN LARGELY BY INCREASED RATES OF DE NOVO LIPOGENESIS AND HEPATIC FATTY ACID UPTAKE AND REDUCED FATTY ACID OXIDATION AND/OR DISPOSAL TO THE CIRCULATION. FRUCTOSE IS A NATURALLY OCCURRING SIMPLE SUGAR, WHICH IS MOST COMMONLY CONSUMED IN MODERN DIETS IN THE FORM OF SUCROSE, A DISACCHARIDE COMPRISED OF ONE MOLECULE OF FRUCTOSE COVALENTLY BONDED WITH ONE MOLECULE OF GLUCOSE. A NUMBER OF OBSERVATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS OF DIETARY FRUCTOSE CONSUMPTION NOT ONLY ON DIVERSE METABOLIC OUTCOMES SUCH AS INSULIN RESISTANCE AND OBESITY, BUT ALSO ON HEPATIC STEATOSIS AND NAFLD-RELATED FIBROSIS. DESPITE THE COMPELLING EVIDENCE THAT EXCESSIVE FRUCTOSE CONSUMPTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRESENCE OF NAFLD AND MAY EVEN PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF NAFLD TO MORE CLINICALLY SEVERE PHENOTYPES, THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BY WHICH FRUCTOSE ELICITS EFFECTS ON DYSREGULATED LIVER METABOLISM REMAIN UNCLEAR. EMERGING DATA SUGGEST THAT DIETARY FRUCTOSE MAY DIRECTLY ALTER THE EXPRESSION OF GENES INVOLVED IN LIPID METABOLISM, INCLUDING THOSE THAT INCREASE HEPATIC FAT ACCUMULATION OR REDUCE HEPATIC FAT REMOVAL. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO SUMMARIZE THE CURRENT RESEARCH SUPPORTING A ROLE FOR DIETARY FRUCTOSE INTAKE IN THE MODULATION OF TRANSCRIPTOMIC AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE PATHOGENESIS OF NAFLD. 2020 18 2226 40 EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS INDUCED BY NUTRIENTS IN EARLY LIFE PHASES: GENDER DIFFERENCES IN METABOLIC ALTERATION IN ADULTHOOD. METABOLIC CHRONIC DISEASES, ALSO NAMED NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS), ARE CONSIDERED MULTIFACTORIAL PATHOLOGIES, WHICH ARE DRAMATICALLY INCREASED DURING THE LAST DECADES. NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES SUCH AS CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, OBESITY, DIABETES MELLITUS, CANCERS, AND CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASES MARKEDLY INCREASE MORBIDITY, MORTALITY, AND SOCIOECONOMIC COSTS. MOREOVER, NCDS INDUCE SEVERAL AND COMPLEX CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS THAT LEAD TO A GRADUAL DETERIORATION OF HEALTH STATUS AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS. MULTIPLE FACTORS ARE INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION OF THESE DISEASES SUCH AS SEDENTARY BEHAVIOR, SMOKING, POLLUTION, AND UNHEALTHY DIET. INDEED, NUTRITION HAS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN MAINTAINING HEALTH, AND DIETARY IMBALANCES REPRESENT MAJOR DETERMINANTS FAVORING CHRONIC DISEASES THROUGH METABOLIC HOMEOSTASIS ALTERATIONS. IN PARTICULAR, IT APPEARS THAT SPECIFIC NUTRIENTS AND ADEQUATE NUTRITION ARE IMPORTANT IN ALL PERIODS OF LIFE, BUT THEY ARE ESSENTIAL DURING SPECIFIC TIMES IN EARLY LIFE SUCH AS PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL PHASES. INDEED, EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES REPORT THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF AN INCORRECT NUTRITION ON HEALTH STATUS SEVERAL DECADES LATER IN LIFE. DURING THE LAST DECADE, A GROWING INTEREST ON THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS AS LINK BETWEEN NUTRITIONAL IMBALANCES AND NCDS DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN OBSERVED. FINALLY, BECAUSE OF THE PIVOTAL ROLE OF THE HORMONES IN FAT, CARBOHYDRATE, AND PROTEIN METABOLISM REGULATION THROUGHOUT LIFE, IT IS EXPECTED THAT ANY HORMONAL MODIFICATION OF THESE PROCESSES CAN IMBALANCE METABOLISM AND FAT STORAGE. THEREFORE, A PARTICULAR INTEREST TO SEVERAL CHEMICALS ABLE TO ACT AS ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS HAS BEEN RECENTLY DEVELOPED. IN THIS REVIEW, WE WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW AND DISCUSS THE EPIGENETIC ROLE OF SOME SPECIFIC NUTRIENTS AND CHEMICALS IN THE MODULATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS. 2019 19 2157 42 EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ELICITED BY NUTRITION IN EARLY LIFE. A GROWING NUMBER OF STUDIES FOCUSING ON THE DEVELOPMENTAL ORIGIN OF HEALTH AND DISEASE HYPOTHESIS HAVE IDENTIFIED LINKS AMONG EARLY NUTRITION, EPIGENETIC PROCESSES AND DISEASES ALSO IN LATER LIFE. DIFFERENT EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ARE ELICITED BY DIETARY FACTORS IN EARLY CRITICAL DEVELOPMENTAL AGES THAT ARE ABLE TO AFFECT THE SUSCEPTIBILITY TO SEVERAL DISEASES IN ADULTHOOD. THE STUDIES HERE REVIEWED SUGGEST THAT MATERNAL AND NEONATAL DIET MAY HAVE LONG-LASTING EFFECTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NON-COMMUNICABLE CHRONIC ADULTHOOD DISEASES, IN PARTICULAR THE COMPONENTS OF THE SO-CALLED METABOLIC SYNDROME, SUCH AS INSULIN RESISTANCE, TYPE 2 DIABETES, OBESITY, DYSLIPIDAEMIA, HYPERTENSION, AND CVD. BOTH MATERNAL UNDER- AND OVER-NUTRITION MAY REGULATE THE EXPRESSION OF GENES INVOLVED IN LIPID AND CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM. EARLY POSTNATAL NUTRITION MAY ALSO REPRESENT A VITAL DETERMINANT OF ADULT HEALTH BY MAKING AN IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION OF GUT MICROBIOTA. AN INADEQUATE GUT MICROBIOTA COMPOSITION AND FUNCTION IN EARLY LIFE SEEMS TO ACCOUNT FOR THE DEVIANT PROGRAMMING OF LATER IMMUNITY AND OVERALL HEALTH STATUS. IN THIS REGARD PROBIOTICS, WHICH HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO RESTORE THE INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA BALANCE, MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC IMMUNE-MEDIATED DISEASES. MORE RECENTLY, THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS ELICITED BY PROBIOTICS THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF SCFA ARE HYPOTHESISED TO BE THE KEY TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY MEDIATE THEIR NUMEROUS HEALTH-PROMOTING EFFECTS FROM THE GUT TO THE PERIPHERAL TISSUES. 2011 20 4396 38 MODULATION OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION BY QUERCETIN: THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON OBESITY. OBESITY HAS BECOME A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES SUCH AS INSULIN RESISTANCE, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. MOREOVER, OBESITY INDUCES CHRONIC INFLAMMATION IN ADIPOSE TISSUE, LIVER, SKELETAL MUSCLE, AND THE VASCULAR SYSTEM. QUERCETIN IS THE MAJOR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FLAVONOID SUBCLASS OF FLAVONOLS, WHICH IS UBIQUITOUSLY CONTAINED WITHIN NATURAL PLANTS SUCH AS GREEN TEA, AND VEGETABLES, INCLUDING ONIONS AND APPLES. RESEARCHERS HAVE FOCUSED GREATER ATTENTION TO THE BENEFICIAL PHYSIOLOGICAL ROLES OF QUERCETIN, WHICH HAS ANTI-OXIDATIVE, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, AND ANTI-FIBROTIC EFFECTS ON INSULIN RESISTANCE AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN OBESITY-RELATED DISEASES. ALSO, THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF QUERCETIN ON INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED IN OBESITY. IN ADDITION, THERE IS INCREASING EVIDENCE THAT QUERCETIN IS ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC ACTIVITIES IN CANCER, AND IN MATERNAL UNDERNUTRITION DURING GESTATION AND LACTATION. IN THIS REVIEW, WE FOCUS ON THE CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF QUERCETIN, ITS DIETARY SOURCES IN OBESITY, AND ITS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS ON INSULIN RESISTANCE, ATHEROSCLEROSIS, INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA, AND MATERNAL UNDER-NUTRITION WITH EPIGENETIC ACTIVITY. 2020