1 2699 121 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 2 4711 42 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 3 74 48 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 4 4786 37 NUTRITION AND HEALTH DURING MID-LIFE: SEARCHING FOR SOLUTIONS AND MEETING CHALLENGES FOR THE AGING POPULATION. INTERACTIONS BETWEEN GENETIC (GENOME) AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS (EPIGENOME) OPERATE DURING A PERSON'S ENTIRE LIFESPAN. THE AGING PROCESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERAL CELLULAR AND ORGANIC FUNCTIONAL ALTERATIONS THAT, AT THE END, CAUSE MULTI-ORGANIC CELL FAILURE. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS OF AGING ARE MODIFIABLE BY APPROPRIATE PREVENTIVE ACTIONS MEDIATED BY SIRTUINS, CALORIC INPUT, DIET COMPONENTS, ADIPOSE TISSUE-RELATED INFLAMMATORY REACTIONS, AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. THE MEDITERRANEAN LIFESTYLE HAS BEEN FOR MANY MILLENNIA A DAILY HABIT FOR PEOPLE IN WESTERN CIVILIZATIONS LIVING AROUND THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA WHO WORKED INTENSIVELY AND SURVIVED WITH VERY FEW SEASONAL FOODS. A HIGH ADHERENCE TO THE TRADITIONAL MEDITERRANEAN DIET IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOW MORTALITY (HIGHER LONGEVITY) AND REDUCED RISK OF DEVELOPING CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING CANCER, THE METABOLIC SYNDROME, DEPRESSION AND CARDIOVASCULAR AND NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. REPORTS INDICATE THAT SOME DIETARY COMPONENTS, SUCH AS OLIVE OIL, ANTIOXIDANTS, OMEGA-3 AND -6 POLYUNSATURATED ACIDS, POLYPHENOLS AND FLAVONOIDS, MEDIATE BENEFICIAL ANTI-AGING EFFECTS (ANTI-CHRONIC DISEASES AND INCREASED LONGEVITY). EQUALLY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DISPLAYS A POSITIVE EFFECT, PRODUCING CALORIC CONSUMPTION AND REGULATION OF ADIPOSE AND PANCREATIC FUNCTION. THE PREDICTIVE STRENGTH OF SOME FOOD PATTERNS MAY BE A WAY OF DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOOD AND HEALTH POLICIES. THIS PAPER WILL DISCUSS SEVERAL WAYS OF IMPROVING HEALTH DURING MID-LIFE, FOCUSING ON CERTAIN GROUPS OF FUNCTIONAL FOODS AND HEALTHY HABITS WHICH MAY REDUCE OR PREVENT AGE-RELATED CHRONIC DISEASES. 2013 5 6732 27 WESTERN DIET AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: AN INFLAMMATORY CONNECTION. THE CONSUMPTION OF WESTERN-TYPE CALORICALLY RICH DIETS COMBINED WITH CHRONIC OVERNUTRITION AND A SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE IN WESTERN SOCIETIES EVOKES A STATE OF CHRONIC METABOLIC INFLAMMATION, TERMED METAFLAMMATION. METAFLAMMATION CONTRIBUTES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MANY PREVALENT NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDS), AND THESE LIFESTYLE-ASSOCIATED PATHOLOGIES REPRESENT A RISING PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM WITH GLOBAL EPIDEMIC DIMENSIONS. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW MODERN LIFESTYLE AND WESTERN DIET (WD) ACTIVATE IMMUNE CELLS IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFICIENT PREVENTIVE AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR COMMON NCDS. HERE, WE REVIEW THE CURRENT MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE WESTERN LIFESTYLE CAN INDUCE METAFLAMMATION, AND WE DISCUSS HOW THIS KNOWLEDGE CAN BE TRANSLATED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM THE HEALTH BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR SELECTED LIFESTYLE. 2019 6 4973 39 PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF CONTEMPORARY LIFESTYLE ON EVOLUTIONARY-CONSERVED SURVIVAL MECHANISMS IN POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME. POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS) IS INCREASINGLY BEING CHARACTERIZED AS AN EVOLUTIONARY MISMATCH DISORDER THAT PRESENTS WITH A COMPLEX MIXTURE OF METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE SYMPTOMS. THE EVOLUTIONARY MODEL PROPOSES THAT PCOS ARISES FROM A COLLECTION OF INHERITED POLYMORPHISMS THAT HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED IN A VARIETY OF ETHNIC GROUPS AND RACES. IN UTERO DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMING OF SUSCEPTIBLE GENOMIC VARIANTS ARE THOUGHT TO PREDISPOSE THE OFFSPRING TO DEVELOP PCOS. POSTNATAL EXPOSURE TO LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS RESULTS IN EPIGENETIC ACTIVATION OF DEVELOPMENTALLY PROGRAMMED GENES AND DISTURBANCE OF THE HALLMARKS OF HEALTH. THE RESULTING PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES REPRESENT THE CONSEQUENCES OF POOR-QUALITY DIET, SEDENTARY BEHAVIOUR, ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS, STRESS, CIRCADIAN DISRUPTION, AND OTHER LIFESTYLE FACTORS. EMERGING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT LIFESTYLE-INDUCED GASTROINTESTINAL DYSBIOSIS PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF PCOS. LIFESTYLE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES INITIATE CHANGES THAT RESULT IN DISTURBANCE OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL MICROBIOME (DYSBIOSIS), IMMUNE DYSREGULATION (CHRONIC INFLAMMATION), ALTERED METABOLISM (INSULIN RESISTANCE), ENDOCRINE AND REPRODUCTIVE IMBALANCE (HYPERANDROGENISM), AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DYSFUNCTION (NEUROENDOCRINE AND AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM). PCOS CAN BE A PROGRESSIVE METABOLIC CONDITION THAT LEADS TO OBESITY, GESTATIONAL DIABETES, TYPE TWO DIABETES, METABOLIC-ASSOCIATED FATTY LIVER DISEASE, METABOLIC SYNDROME, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, AND CANCER. THIS REVIEW EXPLORES THE MECHANISMS THAT UNDERPIN THE EVOLUTIONARY MISMATCH BETWEEN ANCIENT SURVIVAL PATHWAYS AND CONTEMPORARY LIFESTYLE FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE PATHOGENESIS AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF PCOS. 2023 7 6165 36 THE GLOBAL DIABETES EPIDEMIC AS A CONSEQUENCE OF LIFESTYLE-INDUCED LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION. THE RECENT MAJOR INCREASE IN THE GLOBAL INCIDENCE OF TYPE 2 DIABETES SUGGESTS THAT MOST CASES OF THIS DISEASE ARE CAUSED BY CHANGES IN ENVIRONMENT AND LIFESTYLE. ALL MAJOR RISK FACTORS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES (OVERNUTRITION, LOW DIETARY FIBRE, SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND DEPRESSION) HAVE BEEN FOUND TO INDUCE LOCAL OR SYSTEMIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION THAT IS USUALLY TRANSIENT OR MILDER IN INDIVIDUALS NOT AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. BY CONTRAST, INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES TO LIFESTYLE FACTORS ARE MORE PRONOUNCED AND PROLONGED IN INDIVIDUALS AT RISK OF TYPE 2 DIABETES AND APPEAR TO OCCUR ALSO IN THE PANCREATIC ISLETS. CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO OVERT DIABETES IF COUNTER-REGULATORY CIRCUITS TO INFLAMMATION AND METABOLIC STRESS ARE COMPROMISED BECAUSE OF A GENETIC AND/OR EPIGENETIC PREDISPOSITION. HENCE, IT IS NOT THE LIFESTYLE CHANGE PER SE BUT A DEFICIENT COUNTER-REGULATORY RESPONSE IN PREDISPOSED INDIVIDUALS WHICH IS CRUCIAL TO DISEASE PATHOGENESIS. NOVEL APPROACHES OF INTERVENTION MAY TARGET THESE DEFICIENT DEFENCE MECHANISMS. 2010 8 6169 26 THE GUT MICROBIOTA AND HEALTHY AGING: A MINI-REVIEW. THE GUT MICROBIOTA SHOWS A WIDE INTER-INDIVIDUAL VARIATION, BUT ITS WITHIN-INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IS RELATIVELY STABLE OVER TIME. A FUNCTIONAL CORE MICROBIOME, PROVIDED BY ABUNDANT BACTERIAL TAXA, SEEMS TO BE COMMON TO VARIOUS HUMAN HOSTS REGARDLESS OF THEIR GENDER, GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION, AND AGE. WITH ADVANCING CHRONOLOGICAL AGE, THE GUT MICROBIOTA BECOMES MORE DIVERSE AND VARIABLE. HOWEVER, WHEN MEASURES OF BIOLOGICAL AGE ARE USED WITH ADJUSTMENT FOR CHRONOLOGICAL AGE, OVERALL RICHNESS DECREASES, WHILE A CERTAIN GROUP OF BACTERIA ASSOCIATED WITH FRAILTY INCREASES. THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSIDERING BIOLOGICAL OR FUNCTIONAL MEASURES OF AGING. STUDIES USING MODEL ORGANISMS INDICATE THAT AGE-RELATED GUT DYSBIOSIS MAY CONTRIBUTE TO UNHEALTHY AGING AND REDUCED LONGEVITY. THE GUT MICROBIOME DEPENDS ON THE HOST NUTRIENT SIGNALING PATHWAYS FOR ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON HOST HEALTH AND LIFESPAN, AND GUT DYSBIOSIS DISRUPTING THE INTERDEPENDENCE MAY DIMINISH THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OR EVEN HAVE REVERSE EFFECTS. GUT DYSBIOSIS CAN TRIGGER THE INNATE IMMUNE RESPONSE AND CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION, LEADING TO MANY AGE-RELATED DEGENERATIVE PATHOLOGIES AND UNHEALTHY AGING. THE GUT MICROBIOTA COMMUNICATES WITH THE HOST THROUGH VARIOUS BIOMOLECULES, NUTRIENT SIGNALING-INDEPENDENT PATHWAYS, AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. DISTURBANCE OF THESE COMMUNICATIONS BY AGE-RELATED GUT DYSBIOSIS CAN AFFECT THE HOST HEALTH AND LIFESPAN. THIS MAY EXPLAIN THE IMPACT OF THE GUT MICROBIOME ON HEALTH AND AGING. 2018 9 4205 34 METABOLO-EPIGENETIC INTERPLAY PROVIDES TARGETED NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS IN CHRONIC DISEASES AND AGEING. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS ARE CHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS THAT AFFECT GENE EXPRESSION WITHOUT ALTERING DNA SEQUENCES. IN PARTICULAR, EPIGENETIC CHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS CAN OCCUR ON HISTONE PROTEINS -MAINLY ACETYLATION, METHYLATION-, AND ON DNA AND RNA MOLECULES -MAINLY METHYLATION-. ADDITIONAL MECHANISMS, SUCH AS RNA-MEDIATED REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION AND DETERMINANTS OF THE GENOMIC ARCHITECTURE CAN ALSO AFFECT GENE EXPRESSION. IMPORTANTLY, DEPENDING ON THE CELLULAR CONTEXT AND ENVIRONMENT, EPIGENETIC PROCESSES CAN DRIVE DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMS AS WELL AS FUNCTIONAL PLASTICITY. HOWEVER, MISBALANCED EPIGENETIC REGULATION CAN RESULT IN DISEASE, PARTICULARLY IN THE CONTEXT OF METABOLIC DISEASES, CANCER, AND AGEING. NON-COMMUNICABLE CHRONIC DISEASES (NCCD) AND AGEING SHARE COMMON FEATURES INCLUDING ALTERED METABOLISM, SYSTEMIC META-INFLAMMATION, DYSFUNCTIONAL IMMUNE SYSTEM RESPONSES, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS, AMONG OTHERS. IN THIS SCENARIO, UNBALANCED DIETS, SUCH AS HIGH SUGAR AND HIGH SATURATED FATTY ACIDS CONSUMPTION, TOGETHER WITH SEDENTARY HABITS, ARE RISK FACTORS IMPLICATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NCCD AND PREMATURE AGEING. THE NUTRITIONAL AND METABOLIC STATUS OF INDIVIDUALS INTERACT WITH EPIGENETICS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS. THUS, IT IS CRUCIAL TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN MODULATE EPIGENETIC MARKS THROUGH BOTH LIFESTYLE HABITS AND TARGETED CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS -INCLUDING FASTING MIMICKING DIETS, NUTRACEUTICALS, AND BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS- WHICH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO RESTORE THE METABOLIC HOMEOSTASIS IN NCCD. HERE, WE FIRST DESCRIBE KEY METABOLITES FROM CELLULAR METABOLIC PATHWAYS USED AS SUBSTRATES TO "WRITE" THE EPIGENETIC MARKS; AND COFACTORS THAT MODULATE THE ACTIVITY OF THE EPIGENETIC ENZYMES; THEN, WE BRIEFLY SHOW HOW METABOLIC AND EPIGENETIC IMBALANCES MAY RESULT IN DISEASE; AND, FINALLY, WE SHOW SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTIONS - DIET BASED INTERVENTIONS, BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS, AND NUTRACEUTICALS- AND EXERCISE TO COUNTERACT EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS. 2023 10 4080 23 MATERNAL LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS: TARGETING PRECONCEPTION HEALTH. ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE ARE OBESE, PREDISPOSING BOTH MOTHER AND BABY TO UNFAVOURABLE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES AND INITIATING AN INTERGENERATIONAL CYCLE OF CHRONIC METABOLIC DISORDERS. HERE WE SUMMARISE RECENT RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCE OF MATERNAL METABOLIC HEALTH ON OFFSPRING SUSCEPTIBILITY TO FUTURE CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASES. CURRENT PRIMARY LIFESTYLE APPROACHES (I.E., DIET AND EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS) TO HALT THE SUCCESSION OF INHERITED AND EPIGENETIC METABOLIC ABNORMALITIES HAVE MET WITH LIMITED SUCCESS DUE TO LATE IMPLEMENTATION, POOR ADHERENCE, AND/OR GENERIC GUIDELINES. IN OUR OPINION, SUCH INTERVENTIONS MUST COMMENCE PRIOR TO CONCEPTION TO IMPROVE BOTH MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH OUTCOMES, WITH NEW APPROACHES URGENTLY NEEDED TO INCREASE ADHERENCE TO PRIMARY LIFESTYLE CHANGES AMONG REPRODUCTIVE-AGE WOMEN. 2020 11 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 12 4804 39 OBESITY AND MALE INFERTILITY: MECHANISMS AND MANAGEMENT. OBESITY IS CONSIDERED A GLOBAL HEALTH PROBLEM AFFECTING MORE THAN A THIRD OF THE POPULATION. COMPLICATIONS OF OBESITY INCLUDE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, MALIGNANCY (INCLUDING PROSTATIC CANCER), NEURODEGENERATION AND ACCELERATED AGEING. IN MALES, THESE FURTHER INCLUDE ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION, POOR SEMEN QUALITY AND SUBCLINICAL PROSTATITIS. ALTHOUGH POORLY UNDERSTOOD, IMPORTANT MEDIATORS OF OBESITY THAT MAY INFLUENCE THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM INCLUDE HYPERINSULINEMIA, HYPERLEPTINEMIA, CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND OXIDATIVE STRESS. OBESITY IS KNOWN TO DISRUPT MALE FERTILITY AND THE REPRODUCTION POTENTIAL, PARTICULARLY THROUGH ALTERATION IN THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-GONADAL AXIS, DISRUPTION OF TESTICULAR STEROIDOGENESIS AND METABOLIC DYSREGULATION, INCLUDING INSULIN, CYTOKINES AND ADIPOKINES. IMPORTANTLY, OBESITY AND ITS UNDERLYING MEDIATORS RESULT IN A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON SEMEN PARAMETERS, INCLUDING SPERM CONCENTRATION, MOTILITY, VIABILITY AND NORMAL MORPHOLOGY. MOREOVER, OBESITY INHIBITS CHROMATIN CONDENSATION, DNA FRAGMENTATION, INCREASES APOPTOSIS AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT CAN BE TRANSFERRED TO THE OFFSPRING. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES THE IMPACT OF OBESITY ON THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM AND FERTILITY, INCLUDING ASSOCIATED MECHANISMS. FURTHERMORE, WEIGHT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, LIFESTYLE CHANGES, PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION, AND COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF OBESITY-INDUCED SUBFERTILITY IS DISCUSSED. 2021 13 2801 33 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 14 6033 37 THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BASES OF LEPTIN AND GHRELIN RESISTANCE IN OBESITY. OBESITY, A MAJOR RISK FACTOR FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIABETES MELLITUS, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND CERTAIN TYPES OF CANCER, ARISES FROM A CHRONIC POSITIVE ENERGY BALANCE THAT IS OFTEN DUE TO UNLIMITED ACCESS TO FOOD AND AN INCREASINGLY SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE ON THE BACKGROUND OF A GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC VULNERABILITY. OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUMORAL AND NEURONAL SYSTEMS THAT MEDIATE THE CONTROL OF ENERGY HOMEOSTASIS HAS IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY IN THE PAST FEW DECADES. HOWEVER, OUR ABILITY TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO SLOW THE CURRENT EPIDEMIC OF OBESITY HAS BEEN HAMPERED, LARGELY OWING TO THE LIMITED KNOWLEDGE OF THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING RESISTANCE TO THE ACTION OF METABOLIC HORMONES SUCH AS LEPTIN AND GHRELIN. THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESISTANCE TO LEPTIN AND GHRELIN, HORMONES THAT ARE CRUCIAL FOR THE NEUROENDOCRINE CONTROL OF ENERGY HOMEOSTASIS, IS A HALLMARK OF OBESITY. INTENSIVE RESEARCH OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS HAS YIELDED TREMENDOUS PROGRESS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CELLULAR PATHWAYS THAT DISRUPT THE ACTION OF LEPTIN AND GHRELIN. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERPINNING RESISTANCE TO LEPTIN AND GHRELIN AND HOW THEY CAN BE EXPLOITED AS TARGETS FOR PHARMACOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OF OBESITY. 2017 15 1412 44 DIETARY PATTERNS INFLUENCE TARGET GENE EXPRESSION THROUGH EMERGING EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE. NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD) REFERS TO THE PATHOLOGIC BUILDUP OF EXTRA FAT IN THE FORM OF TRIGLYCERIDES IN LIVER CELLS WITHOUT EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL INTAKE. NAFLD BECAME THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE THAT IS TIGHTLY ASSOCIATED WITH KEY ASPECTS OF METABOLIC DISORDERS, INCLUDING INSULIN RESISTANCE, OBESITY, DIABETES, AND METABOLIC SYNDROME. IT IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED THAT MULTIPLE MECHANISMS AND PATHWAYS ARE INVOLVED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF NAFLD. HEREDITY, SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, WESTERNIZED HIGH SUGAR SATURATED FAT DIET, METABOLIC DERANGEMENTS, AND GUT MICROBIOTA, ALL MAY INTERACT ON A ON GENETICALLY SUSCEPTIBLE INDIVIDUAL TO CAUSE THE DISEASE INITIATION AND PROGRESSION. WHILE THERE IS AN UNQUESTIONABLE ROLE FOR GENE-DIET INTERACTION IN THE ETIOPATHOGENESIS OF NAFLD, IT IS INCREASINGLY APPARENT THAT EPIGENETIC PROCESSES CAN ORCHESTRATE MANY ASPECTS OF THIS INTERACTION AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL MECHANISTIC INSIGHT. EXCITING RESEARCH DEMONSTRATED THAT EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS IN CHROMATIN CAN INFLUENCE GENE EXPRESSION CHIEFLY AT THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL LEVEL IN RESPONSE TO UNBALANCED DIET, AND THEREFORE PREDISPOSE AN INDIVIDUAL TO NAFLD. THUS, FURTHER DISCOVERIES INTO MOLECULAR EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE LINK BETWEEN NUTRITION AND ABERRANT HEPATIC GENE EXPRESSION CAN YIELD NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE PATHOGENESIS OF NAFLD, AND ALLOW INNOVATIVE EPIGENETIC-BASED STRATEGIES FOR ITS EARLY PREVENTION AND TARGETED THERAPIES. HEREIN, WE OUTLINE THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF THE INTERACTIVE ROLE OF A HIGH-FAT HIGH-CALORIES DIET AND GENE EXPRESSION THROUGH DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF NAFLD. WE ALSO PROVIDE PERSPECTIVES ON THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE EPIGENOMICS IN THE FIELD AND POSSIBLE SHORTCOMINGS AND LIMITATIONS AHEAD. 2021 16 6873 38 [PREVENTION OF OBESITY FROM PERINATAL STAGE]. OBESITY IS ONE OF THE MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEMS AND A DETERMINING FACTOR IN THE PREVALENCE OF DISEASES SUCH AS METABOLIC SYNDROME, ASTHMA, SLEEP APNEA, INFERTILITY AND VARIOUS TYPES OF CANCER. ITS ORIGIN IS MULTIFACTORIAL, INVOLVING GENETIC, SOCIOECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS. THESE LAST ONES CONTRIBUTE MOSTLY TO EXPLAIN THE CURRENT EPIDEMIC GROWTH OF THIS DISEASE. THE SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, INADEQUATE DIET, LACK OF SLEEP, ALTERATIONS IN INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA AND STRESS ARE FACTORS RELATED TO ITS DEVELOPMENT. SINCE BARKER PRESENTED HIS HYPOTHESIS ABOUT THE "FETAL ORIGIN OF ADULT DISEASES", THERE ARE INCREASING NUMBER OF STUDIES THAT SHOW THE INFLUENCE OF AN INADEQUATE NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND MATERNAL WEIGHT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES, AS OBESITY IN OFFSPRING. THE NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCIES OF THE PREGNANT MOTHER CAUSE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AND ABNORMAL PROGRAMMING OF THE DEVELOPMENT OFORGANS AND DEVICES, ADAPTING THE FETUS TO THIS SITUATION OF DEFICIENCY AND BEING ABLE TO ADAPT TO AN OBESOGENIC ENVIRONMENT AFTER BIRTH, INCREASING ITS PROPENSITY TO OBESITY. ALSO, POOR MATERNAL NUTRITIONAL STATUS IS RELATED TO INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RETARDATION AND LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS, WITH A HIGHER RISK OF CHILDHOOD AND ADULT CENTRAL OBESITY. CURRENTLY, DEFICIENT INTAKE OF MICRONUTRIENTS AND OVERWEIGHT OR MATERNAL OBESITY TEND TO OVERLAP, AND THIS COMBINATION MAY EXACERBATE THE INCREASE IN OBESITY IN THE OFFSPRING. IT IS IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY PREGNANT MOTHERS AT RISK OF SUFFERING NUTRITIONAL ALTERATIONS AND ESTABLISH THEIR IMPROVEMENT AS A PRIMARY PREVENTION STRATEGY FOR OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY. 2017 17 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 18 4778 32 NUTRACEUTICALS AND THE NETWORK OF OBESITY MODULATORS. OBESITY IS CONSIDERED AN INCREASINGLY WIDESPREAD DISEASE IN THE WORLD POPULATION, REGARDLESS OF AGE AND GENDER. GENETIC BUT ALSO LIFESTYLE-DEPENDENT CAUSES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE, ESPECIALLY IN NON-GENETIC OBESITY. IN A THREE-COMPARTMENT MODEL, THE BODY IS DIVIDED INTO FAT MASS, FAT-FREE MASS AND WATER, AND OBESITY CAN BE CONSIDERED A CONDITION IN WHICH THE PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL FAT MASS IS IN EXCESS. PEOPLE WITH A HIGH BMI INDEX OR OVERWEIGHT USE SELF-MEDICATIONS, SUCH AS FOOD SUPPLEMENTS OR TEAS, WITH THE AIM TO PREVENT OR TREAT THEIR PROBLEM. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE SEVERAL OBESITY MODULATORS THAT ACT BOTH ON THE PATHWAYS THAT PROMOTE ADIPOGENESIS AND THOSE THAT INHIBIT LIPOLYSIS. MOREOVER, THESE PATHWAYS INVOLVE DIFFERENT TISSUES AND ORGANS, SO IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY ANTI-OBESITY SUBSTANCES. A NETWORK OF FACTORS AND CELLS CONTRIBUTES TO THE ACCUMULATION OF FAT IN COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BODY DISTRICTS. THE IDENTIFICATION OF NATURAL ANTI-OBESITY AGENTS SHOULD CONSIDER THIS NETWORK, WHICH WE WOULD LIKE TO CALL "OBESOSOME". THE NUTRIGENOMIC, NUTRIGENETIC AND EPIGENETIC CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING THE IDENTIFICATION OF ACTIVE COMPOUNDS VERY DIFFICULT. THIS NARRATIVE REVIEW AIMS TO HIGHLIGHT NUTRACEUTICALS THAT, IN VITRO OR IN VIVO, SHOWED AN ANTI-OBESITY ACTIVITY OR WERE FOUND TO BE USEFUL IN THE CONTROL OF DYSFUNCTIONS WHICH ARE SECONDARY TO OBESITY. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO USE A SINGLE COMPOUND TO TREAT OBESITY, BUT THAT THE STUDIES HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED TOWARDS THE IDENTIFICATION OF MIXTURES OF NUTRACEUTICALS. 2022 19 3408 39 HOW WESTERN DIET AND LIFESTYLE DRIVE THE PANDEMIC OF OBESITY AND CIVILIZATION DISEASES. WESTERNIZED POPULATIONS ARE PLAGUED BY A PLETHORA OF CHRONIC NON-INFECTIOUS DEGENERATIVE DISEASES, TERMED AS "CIVILIZATION DISEASES", LIKE OBESITY, DIABETES, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, CANCER, AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES, ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND MANY MORE, DISEASES WHICH ARE RARE OR VIRTUALLY ABSENT IN HUNTER-GATHERERS AND OTHER NON-WESTERNIZED POPULATIONS. THERE IS A GROWING AWARENESS THAT THE CAUSE OF THIS AMAZING DISCREPANCY LIES IN THE PROFOUND CHANGES IN DIET AND LIFESTYLE DURING RECENT HUMAN HISTORY. THIS PAPER SHOWS THAT THE TRANSITION FROM PALEOLITHIC NUTRITION TO WESTERN DIETS, ALONG WITH LACK OF CORRESPONDING GENETIC ADAPTATIONS, CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DISTORTIONS OF THE FINE-TUNED METABOLISM THAT HAS EVOLVED OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS OF HUMAN EVOLUTION IN ADAPTATION TO PALEOLITHIC DIETS. WITH THE INCREASING SPREAD OF WESTERN DIET AND LIFESTYLE WORLDWIDE, OVERWEIGHT AND CIVILIZATION DISEASES ARE ALSO RAPIDLY INCREASING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE DIET-RELATED KEY CHANGES IN THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS INCLUDE AN INCREASED PRODUCTION OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES AND OXIDATIVE STRESS, DEVELOPMENT OF HYPERINSULINEMIA AND INSULIN RESISTANCE, LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION AND AN ABNORMAL ACTIVATION OF THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AND THE RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN SYSTEM, ALL OF WHICH PLAY PIVOTAL ROLES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF DISEASES OF CIVILIZATION. IN ADDITION, DIET-RELATED EPIGENETIC CHANGES AND FETAL PROGRAMMING PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE. THE SUGGESTED PATHOMECHANISM IS ALSO ABLE TO EXPLAIN THE WELL-KNOWN BUT NOT COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OBESITY AND THE WIDE RANGE OF COMORBIDITIES, LIKE TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, ETC., AS DISEASES OF THE SAME ETIOPATHOLOGY. CHANGING OUR LIFESTYLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR GENETIC MAKEUP, INCLUDING DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, MAY HELP PREVENT OR LIMIT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE DISEASES. 2019 20 6861 32 [OBESITY: A MODEL OF COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN GENETICS AND ENVIRONMENT]. OBESITY IS EXPLAINED BY THE JOINT ACTIONS OF GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, SUCH AS A WESTERNIZED LIFESTYLE (SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE, CALORIE-DENSE FOODS), INDUCING AN OBESOGENIC ENVIRONMENT. THE SEARCH FOR OBESITY SUSCEPTIBILITY GENES REMAINS COMPLEX, DESPITE RECENT ADAVANCES MADE IN THE OBESITY GENETICS FIELD. EXCEPT VERY RARE MONOGENIC TYPE OBESITY, COMMON OBESITY IS THOUGHT TO BE POLYGENIC AND THE GENETIC CONTRIBUTION TO INTERINDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN COMMON OBESITY HAS BEEN ESTIMATED AT 40-70 %. THE GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES HAVE LED TO IDENTIFY NUMEROUS GENETIC LOCI ASSOCIATED WITH BODY MASS INDEX AND OBESITY RISK. HOWEVER, THE PREDICTIVE VALUE OF THESE LOCI TO THE OBESITY RISK AT THE POPULATION LEVEL REMAINS LOW. FINALLY, THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ON GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO WEIGHT GAIN IS ALSO RELATED TO EPIGENETIC FACTORS. NUTRITIONAL UNBALANCE DURING FETAL DEVELOPMENT MAY CHANGE THE INTRAUTERINE ENVIRONMENT AND LEAD TO ALTERED GENE EXPRESSION (FETAL PROGRAMMING) WITH ALTERATIONS IN DNA OR HISTONE METHYLATION RESULTING IN AN INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CHRONIC DISEASE IN ADULTHOOD, SUCH AS OBESITY. 2012