Abstract
Obesity presents a major health hazard of the 21st century. It promotes co-morbid diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Excessive energy intake, physical inactivity, and genetic susceptibility are main causal factors for obesity, while gene mutations, endocrine disorders, medication, or psychiatric illnesses may be underlying causes in some cases. The development and maintenance of obesity may involve central pathophysiological mechanisms such as impaired brain circuit regulation and neuroendocrine hormone dysfunction. Dieting and physical exercise offer the mainstays of obesity treatment, and anti-obesity drugs may be taken in conjunction to reduce appetite or fat absorption. Bariatric surgeries may be performed in overtly obese patients to lessen stomach volume and nutrient absorption, and induce faster satiety. This review provides a summary of literature on the pathophysiological studies of obesity and discusses relevant therapeutic strategies for managing obesity.
Highlights
Obesity is a serious global epidemic and poses a significant health threat to humans
The results showed an association between higher food addiction scores and increased activation of brain regions encoding motivation in response to food cues, such as the amygdala (AMY), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)
Much progress has been made in recent years toward an understanding of obesity from the perspectives of epidemiology, food addiction, neurohormonal and endocrine regulation, neuroimaging, pathological neurochemical control, and therapeutic interventions
Summary
Obesity is a serious global epidemic and poses a significant health threat to humans. Obesity is associated with increased risks for atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease, coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, gallbladder disease, and diabetes mellitus, as well as a higher mortality rate [2]. It places a remarkable burden on societal health expenditure [3]. This article provides a broad overview of the literature on obesity from multiple perspectives, including epidemiological investigation, food addiction, endocrine, and neuroimaging studies on brain circuits associated with eating and obesity. Last but not the least, the end section of the paper summarizes the relevant therapeutic approaches for managing obesity and introduces exciting new treatment strategies
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