Obesity Research Research Articles

Dietary microRNAs: Could They Be Considered Nutraceuticals?

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ARTICLES ASAPPREVViewpointNEXTDietary microRNAs: Could They Be Considered Nutraceuticals?Daniel A. Jacobo-Velázquez*Daniel A. Jacobo-VelázquezTecnologico de Monterrey, Institute for Obesity Research, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, C.P. 64849 Monterrey, NL MexicoTecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Campus Guadalajara, Av. General Ramon Corona 2514, C.P. 45201, Zapopan, Jalisco Mexico*Email: [email protected]More by Daniel A. Jacobo-Velázquezhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9478-2570, Griselda Rabadán-ChávezGriselda Rabadán-ChávezTecnologico de Monterrey, Institute for Obesity Research, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, C.P. 64849 Monterrey, NL MexicoMore by Griselda Rabadán-Chávez, and Edwin E. Reza-ZaldívarEdwin E. Reza-ZaldívarTecnologico de Monterrey, Institute for Obesity Research, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, C.P. 64849 Monterrey, NL MexicoMore by Edwin E. Reza-ZaldívarCite this: ACS Food Sci. Technol. 2023, XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXXPublication Date (Web):June 15, 2023Publication History Received31 May 2023Accepted6 June 2023Published online15 June 2023https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.3c00210© 2023 American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views-Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit Read OnlinePDF (2 MB) Get e-AlertscloseSUBJECTS:Bacteria,Food,Genetics,Plant derived food,Vesicles Get e-Alerts

BMI in Evaluating Obesity of Contemporary College Students

Background: Changes in lifestyle and reduction in physical activity have led to a continuous increase in the number of obese people in my country, but the criteria for determining obesity are different. Body mass index (BMI) is the most commonly used indicator for obesity research. Objective: To evaluate the authenticity, reliability and profitability of the obesity determination standard of body mass index (BMI) of college students, using the body fat rate obesity determination standard proposed by the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention as the gold standard, and to discuss BMI as a diagnostic performance and suitable cut-off value for excess body fat percentage. Methods: 1208 college students (557 males and 651 females) were tested, the height and weight were measured to calculate BMI, and the electrical impedance method was used to measure the percentage of body fat (BF%) and the ROC curve cutoff value to construct the BMI obesity diagnosis. standard. Results: The authenticity evaluation of BMI as an obesity screening standard showed high specificity and false negative rate, but low false positive rate and sensitivity; especially for women, the sensitivity was 0.05. Males had higher crude concordance and Youden index than females. When the overall cut-off value of ROC curve analysis was 23.05kg/m², the specificity and sensitivity were high; when the cut-off values for men and women were 23.67kg/m² and 23.35kg/m², the sensitivity was low, the specificity was high, and the misdiagnosis rate was low; BF% was used as the When determining the criteria, the diagnostic performance of BMI and male and female groups was good. Conclusion: When the BMI criterion is 28kg/m², the overall sensitivity is low and male is higher than that of female; the overall specificity is high and the misdiagnosis rate is low. When the BMI obesity diagnosis value is 23.05kg/m², it can effectively improve the sensitivity, reduce the missed diagnosis rate, reduce the missed diagnosis of "occult obesity", improve the evaluation of obesity in the population, and miss the opportunity for intervention.

A Study of 41 Canine Orthologues of Human Genes Involved in Monogenic Obesity Reveals Marker in the ADCY3 for Body Weight in Labrador Retrievers.

Obesity and overweight are common conditions in dogs, but individual susceptibility varies with numerous risk factors, including diet, age, sterilization, and gender. In addition to environmental and biological factors, genetic and epigenetic risk factors can influence predisposition to canine obesity, however, they remain unknown. Labrador Retrievers are one of the breeds that are prone to obesity. The purpose of this study was to analyse 41 canine orthologues of human genes linked to monogenic obesity in humans to identify genes associated with body weight in Labrador Retriever dogs. We analysed 11,520 variants from 50 dogs using a linear mixed model with sex, age, and sterilization as covariates and population structure as a random effect. Estimates obtained from the model were subjected to a maxT permutation procedure to adjust p-values for FWER < 0.05. Only the ADCY3 gene showed statistically significant association: TA>T deletion located at 17:19,222,459 in 1/20 intron (per allele effect of 5.56 kg, SE 0.018, p-value = 5.83 × 10-5, TA/TA: 11 dogs; TA/T: 32 dogs; T/T: 7 dogs). Mutations in the ADCY3 gene have already been associated with obesity in mice and humans, making it a promising marker for canine obesity research. Our results provide further evidence that the genetic makeup of obesity in Labrador Retriever dogs contains genes with large effect sizes.

O-linked N-acetylglucosamine modification is essential for physiological adipose expansion induced by high-fat feeding.

Adipose tissues accumulate excess energy as fat and heavily influence metabolic homeostasis. O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) modification (O-GlcNAcylation), which involves the addition of N-acetylglucosamine to proteins by O-GlcNAc transferase (Ogt), modulates multiple cellular processes. However, little is known about the role of O-GlcNAcylation in adipose tissues during body weight gain due to overnutrition. Here, we report on O-GlcNAcylation in mice with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. Mice with knockout of Ogt in adipose tissue achieved using adiponectin promoter-driven Cre recombinase (Ogt-FKO) gained less body weight than control mice under HFD. Surprisingly, Ogt-FKO mice exhibited glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, despite their reduced body weight gain, as well as decreased expression of de novo lipogenesis genes and increased expression of inflammatory genes, resulting in fibrosis at 24 weeks of age. Primary cultured adipocytes derived from Ogt-FKO mice showed decreased lipid accumulation. Both primary cultured adipocytes and 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with OGT inhibitor showed increased secretion of free fatty acids. Medium derived from these adipocytes stimulated inflammatory genes in RAW 264.7 macrophages, suggesting that cell-to-cell communication via free fatty acids might be a cause of adipose inflammation in Ogt-FKO mice. In conclusion, O-GlcNAcylation is important for healthy adipose expansion in mice. Glucose flux into adipose tissues may be a signal to store excess energy as fat.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We evaluated the role of O-GlcNAcylation in adipose tissue in diet-induced obesity using adipose tissue-specific Ogt knockout mice. We found that O-GlcNAcylation in adipose tissue is essential for healthy fat expansion and that Ogt-FKO mice exhibit severe fibrosis upon long-term overnutrition. O-GlcNAcylation in adipose tissue may regulate de novo lipogenesis and free fatty acid efflux to the degree of overnutrition. We believe that these results provide new insights into adipose tissue physiology and obesity research.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatic fibrosis are strongly associated with estimated 10-years cardiovascular risk in people living with severe obesity

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Cardiometabolic health, diabetes and obesity research network IUCPQ Foundation. Background Obesity (Body Mass Index [BMI] over 30 kg/m2) is associated with metabolic disturbances that promote the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, the association between anthropometric indices of obesity (BMI, Waist Circumference [WC], Waist-to-Hip ratio [WHR] or Neck Circumference [NC]) and CVD risk factors has not always been observed in people living with severe obesity (BMI &amp;gt;35 kg/m2). Among obesity-related metabolic disorders, non-alcoholic ateatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with an increased risk of CVD and cardiac events. NASH has been shown to correlate with a degree of obesity, as defined by BMI or WC. The association between anthropometric parameters, NASH and CVD risk factors has not been explored yet in people living with severe obesity. Purpose The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between CVD risk score, anthropometric parameters and the presence of NASH (hepatic steatosis and fibrosis) in a population with severe obesity. Method A total of 2257 patients with severe obesity, who underwent bariatric surgery with concomitant liver biopsy were included. All biopsy specimens were classified according to the Brunt grading system. Pre-operative demographic and anthropometric data (age, sex, weight, height, BMI, WC, WHR, NC) were recorded. Comorbidities were assessed (type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia). The 10-year cardiovascular risk was calculated preoperatively in each patient using the Framingham risk score (FRS). Dependent variable FRS was compared using Kruskal Wallis H test and Chi2 exact test. Associations were tested using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results In this specific population (mean age of 46.2 years old, mean BMI of 47.8 kg/m2, 69.1% female), FRS did not significantly increase with weight, BMI and WC, but was positively correlated with WHR and NC (p&amp;lt;0.05). A total of 47.3 % of patients with a histopathological diagnosis of NASH had a moderate-to-high FRS. Among NASH patients with histopathological evidence of grade-4 fibrosis, 69.3% had a moderate-to-high FRS. Presence of NASH and fibrosis were more strongly correlated with a moderate-to-high FRS (OR of 1.61 and 1.37, respectively), compared to all other anthropometric parameters (p&amp;lt;0.05), except WHR (OR of 1.99). Conclusion In people living with severe obesity, the presence of NASH and hepatic fibrosis is strongly associated with a high FRS but not more than WHR. Further research is needed to identify the best predictors of CVD and cardiac events in people living with NASH and severe obesity.

Obesogens and Obesity: State-of-the-Science and Future Directions Summary from a Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptors Strategies Workshop

On September 7 and 8, 2022, Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptors Strategies, an Environmental Health Sciences program, convened a scientific workshop of relevant stakeholders involved in obesity, toxicology, or obesogen research to review the state of the science regarding the role of obesogenic chemicals that might be contributing to the obesity pandemic. The workshop’s objectives were to examine the evidence supporting the hypothesis that obesogens contribute to the etiology of human obesity; to discuss opportunities for improved understanding, acceptance, and dissemination of obesogens as contributors to the obesity pandemic; and to consider the need for future research and potential mitigation strategies. This report details the discussions, key areas of agreement, and future opportunities to prevent obesity. The attendees agreed that environmental obesogens are real, significant, and a contributor at some degree to weight gain at the individual level and to the global obesity and metabolic disease pandemic at a societal level; moreover, it is at least, in theory, remediable.

A Bibliometric Study of Scientific Literature on Obesity Research in Web of Science Database (2008-2020): Evidence from the MENA Region.

Obesity has increasingly become a health threat in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. This study aimed to investigate the scientific publications on obesity in the MENA countries during 2008-2020. A longitudinal analysis of 13 years (2008-2020) of bibliographic data from obesity-related articles was performed. Web of Science core collection (WoS) was searched for bibliographic data. The bibliometric indicators including overall productivity and collaboration along with the prevalence of obesity and socioeconomic status were used to assess and compare the context of obesity research efforts in the MENA region. The overall obesity-related articles of the MENA countries cumulated to 23680 publications. The MENA region accounted for a 6.5% global publication share in obesity research. Turkey contributed the highest rate of total publications (n=6162) followed by Iran (n=5302) and Israel (n=2847). Iran and Turkey had the lowest rates of international collaborations. The overall obesity research was not significantly associated with socio-demographic index (SDI) measure (r=-0.26, P=0.27). No significant association was found between Gross National Income (GNI) per capita and the overall production of obesity research (r=0.41, P=0.08). Additionally, obesity research was not significantly associated with the prevalence of obesity in the countries (r=0.24, P=0.30). This study observed an increased share of scientific productivity in the field of obesity from the MENA countries. Neither SDI, GNI per capita, nor obesity prevalence was not significantly associated with the overall productivity of the region.

Temperature-Dependent Effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) on Browning of Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue in UCP1 Knockout Male Mice.

Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) plays a central role in thermogenic tissues by uncoupling cellular respiration to dissipate energy. Beige adipocytes, an inducible form of thermogenic cells in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), have become a major focus in obesity research. We have previously shown that eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ameliorated high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity by activating brown fat in C57BL/6J (B6) mice at thermoneutrality (30 °C), independently of UCP1. Here, we investigated whether ambient temperature (22 °C) impacts EPA effects on SAT browning in wild-type (WT) and UCP1 knockout (KO) male mice and dissected underlying mechanisms using a cell model. We observed resistance to diet-induced obesity in UCP1 KO mice fed HFD at ambient temperature, with significantly higher expression of UCP1-independent thermogenic markers, compared to WT mice. These markers included the fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2b (SERCA2b), suggesting the indispensable role of temperature in beige fat reprogramming. Surprisingly, although EPA induced thermogenic effects in SAT-derived adipocytes harvested from both KO and WT mice, EPA only increased thermogenic gene and protein expression in the SAT of UCP1 KO mice housed at ambient temperature. Collectively, our findings indicate that the thermogenic effects of EPA, which are independent of UCP1, occur in a temperature-dependent manner.

The Neurobiology of Eating Behavior in Obesity: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets: A Report from the 23rd Annual Harvard Nutrition Obesity Symposium

Obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. The effectiveness of currently available strategies for the treatment of obesity (including pharmacologic, surgical, and behavioral interventions) is limited. Understanding the neurobiology of appetite and the important drivers of energy intake (EI) can lead to the development of more effective strategies for the prevention and treatment of obesity. Appetite regulation is complex and is influenced by genetic, social, and environmental factors. It is intricately regulated by a complex interplay of endocrine, gastrointestinal, and neural systems. Hormonal and neural signals generated in response to the energy state of the organism and the quality of food eaten are communicated by paracrine, endocrine, and gastrointestinal signals to the nervous system. The central nervous system integrates homeostatic and hedonic signals to regulate appetite. Although there has been an enormous amount of research over many decades regarding the regulation of EI and body weight, research is only now yielding potentially effective treatment strategies for obesity. The purpose of this article is to summarize the key findings presented in June 2022 at the 23rd annual Harvard Nutrition Obesity Symposium entitled “The Neurobiology of Eating Behavior in Obesity: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets.” Findings presented at the symposium, sponsored by NIH P30 Nutrition Obesity Research Center at Harvard, enhance our current understanding of appetite biology, including innovative techniques used to assess and systematically manipulate critical hedonic processes, which will shape future research and the development of therapeutics for obesity prevention and treatment.

Research on obesity using the National Health Information Database: recent trends

The prevalence of obesity has increased markedly in Korea during the past few decades. Korea is one of the most well-organized countries in terms of its National Health Insurance System (NHIS), which conducts screening examinations. Since the NHIS is unified and managed by the government, its data—contained in the National Health Insurance Database (NHID)—are centralized. The Korean government has recently encouraged researchers to access the NHID, conduct research, and write papers to convey their findings. Expanded research using the NHID could shed light on the future of big data research. In this review, I would like to present an overview of current trends in obesity research using the NHID.

Designing a childhood obesity preventive intervention using the multiphase optimization strategy: The Healthy Bodies Project.

Preventing the development of childhood obesity requires multilevel, multicomponent, comprehensive approaches. Study designs often do not allow for systematic evaluation of the efficacy of individual intervention components before the intervention is fully tested. As such, childhood obesity prevention programs may contain a mix of effective and ineffective components. This article describes the design and rationale of a childhood obesity preventive intervention developed using the multiphase optimization strategy, an engineering-inspired framework for optimizing behavioral interventions. Using a series of randomized experiments, the objective of the study was to systematically test, select, and refine candidate components to build an optimized childhood obesity preventive intervention to be evaluated in a subsequent randomized controlled trial. A 24 full factorial design was used to test the individual and combined effects of four candidate intervention components intended to reduce the risk for childhood obesity. These components were designed with a focus on (a) improving children's healthy eating behaviors and nutrition knowledge, (b) increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary activity in the childcare setting, (c) improving children's behavioral self-regulation, and (d) providing parental web-based education to address child target outcomes. The components were tested with approximately 1400 preschool children, ages 3-5 years in center-based childcare programs in Pennsylvania, the majority of which served predominantly Head-Start eligible households. Primary child outcomes included healthy eating knowledge, physical and sedentary activity, and behavioral self-regulation. Secondary outcomes included children's body mass index and appetitive traits related to appetite regulation. Four intervention components were developed, including three classroom curricula designed to increase preschool children's nutrition knowledge, physical activity, and behavioral, emotional, and eating regulation. A web-based parent education component included 18 lessons designed to improve parenting practices and home environments that would bolster the effects of the classroom curricula. A plan for analyzing the specific contribution of each component to a larger intervention was developed and is described. The efficacy of the four components can be evaluated to determine the extent to which they, individually and in combination, produce detectable changes in childhood obesity risk factors. The resulting optimized intervention should later be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial, which may provide new information on promising targets for obesity prevention in young children. This research project highlights the ways in which an innovative approach to the design and initial evaluation of preventive interventions may increase the likelihood of long-term success. The lessons from this research project have implications for childhood obesity research as well as other preventive interventions that include multiple components, each targeting unique contributors to a multifaceted problem.

Reliability, acceptability, validity and responsiveness of the CHU9D and PedsQL in the measurement of quality of life in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity

BackgroundThe Paediatric Quality of life Inventory (PedsQLTM) Generic Core Scales and the Child Health Utilities 9 Dimensions (CHU9D) are two paediatric health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures commonly used in overweight and obesity research. However, no studies have comprehensively established the psychometric properties of these instruments in the context of paediatric overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability, acceptability, validity and responsiveness of the PedsQL and the CHU9D in the measurement of HRQoL among children and adolescents living with overweight and obesity.Subjects/MethodsSubjects were 6544 child participants of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, with up to 3 repeated measures of PedsQL and CHU9D and aged between 10 and 17 years. Weight and height were measured objectively by trained operators, and weight status determined using World Health Organisation growth standards. We examined reliability, acceptability, known group and convergent validity and responsiveness, using recognised methods.ResultsBoth PedsQL and CHU9D demonstrated good internal consistency reliability, and high acceptability. Neither instrument showed strong convergent validity, but PedsQL appears to be superior to the CHU9D in known groups validity and responsiveness. Compared with healthy weight, mean (95%CI) differences in PedsQL scores for children with obesity were: boys −5.6 (−6.2, −4.4); girls −6.7 (−8.1, −5.4) and differences in CHU9D utility were: boys −0.02 (−0.034, −0.006); girls −0.035 (−0.054, −0.015). Differences in scores for overweight compared with healthy weight were: PedsQL boys −2.2 (−3.0, −1.4) and girls −1.3 (−2.0, −0.6) and CHU9D boys: no significant difference; girls −0.014 (−0.026, −0.003).ConclusionPedsQL and CHU9D overall demonstrated good psychometric properties, supporting their use in measuring HRQoL in paediatric overweight and obesity. CHU9D had poorer responsiveness and did not discriminate between overweight and healthy weight in boys, which may limit its use in economic evaluation.

Advancing precision public health for obesity in children.

Worldwide, far too many children and adolescents are living with the disease of obesity. Despite decades of public health initiatives, rates are still rising in many countries. This raises the question of whether precision public health may be a more successful approach to preventing obesity in youth. In this review, the objective was to review the literature on precision public health in the context of childhood obesity prevention and to discuss how precision public health may advance the field of childhood obesity prevention. As precision public health is a concept that is still evolving and not fully identifiable in the literature, a lack of published studies precluded a formal review. Therefore, the approach of using a broad interpretation of precision public health was used and recent advances in childhood obesity research in the areas of surveillance and risk factor identification as well as intervention, evaluation and implementation using selected studies were summarized. Encouragingly, big data from a multitude of designed and organic sources are being used in new and innovative ways to provide more granular surveillance and risk factor identification in obesity in children. Challenges were identified in terms of data access, completeness, and integration, ensuring inclusion of all members of society, ethics, and translation to policy. As precision public health advances, it may yield novel insights that can contribute to strong policies acting in concert that ultimately lead to the prevention of obesity in children.

Collagen microgel to simulate the adipocyte microenvironment for in vitro research on obesity.

Obesity is linked to adipose tissue dysfunction, a dynamic endocrine organ. Two-dimensional cultures present technical hurdles hampering their ability to follow individual or cell groups for metabolic disease research. Three-dimensional type I collagen microgels with embedded adipocytes have not been thoroughly investigated to evaluate adipogenic maintenance as instrument for studying metabolic disorders. We aimed to develop a novel tunable Col-I microgel simulating the adipocyte microenvironment to maintain differentiated cells with only insulin as in vitro model for obesity research. Adipocytes were cultured and encapsulated in collagen microgels at different concentrations (2, 3 and 4mg/mL). Collagen microgels at 3 and 4mg/mL were more stable after 8days of culture. However, cell viability and metabolic activity were maintained at 2 and 3mg/mL, respectively. Cell morphology, lipid mobilization and adipogenic gene expression demonstrated the maintenance of adipocyte phenotype in an in vitro microenvironment. We demonstrated the adequate stability and biocompatibility of the collagen microgel at 3mg/mL. Cell and molecular analysis confirmed that adipocyte phenotype is maintained over time in the absence of adipogenic factors. These findings will help better understand and open new avenues for research on adipocyte metabolism and obesity. Insight box In the context of adipose tissue dysfunction research, new struggles have arisen owing to the difficulty of cellular maintenance in 2D cultures. Herein, we sought a novel approach using a 3D type I collagen-based biomaterial to adipocyte culture with only insulin. This component was tailored as a microgel in different concentrations to support the growth and survival of adipocytes. We demonstrate that adipocyte phenotype is maintained and key adipogenesis regulators and markers are over time. The cumulative results unveil the practical advantage of this microgel platform as an in vitro model to study adipocyte dysfunction and obesity.

Moving out of silos for obesity research and treatment.

Moving out of silos for obesity research and treatment.

Creativity in energy balance, obesity and feeding behavior research, some thoughts

This review provides an overview of examples of especially creative work related to the fields of ingestive behavior, energetics (defined as the study of the acquisition, storage, and use of metabolizable energy by biological organisms and the causes and consequences of such acquisition, storage, and use), and nutrition, focusing on both individual works and discoveries, as well as bodies of works and in some cases the working styles of particular scientists. The paper then discusses some principles extracted from our observations as well as from the literature on creativity pointing out some factors that seem to make for more creative science and that can be done by individuals to promote creativity in their own work. Finally, we end with a short set of tips for the field in general to promote creativity among our ranks broadly.

National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research Efforts to Advance Childhood Obesity Research: Progress and Next Steps

National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research Efforts to Advance Childhood Obesity Research: Progress and Next Steps

Highlights of the 5th International Congress of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals: Searching for the Next Generation of Healthy Foods

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEEditorialNEXTHighlights of the 5th International Congress of Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals: Searching for the Next Generation of Healthy FoodsDaniel A. Jacobo-Velázquez*Daniel A. Jacobo-VelázquezTecnologico de Monterrey, The Institute for Obesity Research, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, 64849 Monterrey, NL, MexicoTecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Campus Guadalajara, Av. General Ramon Corona 2514, C.P., 45201 Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico*[email protected]More by Daniel A. Jacobo-Velázquezhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9478-2570, Janet A. Gutiérrez-UribeJanet A. Gutiérrez-UribeTecnologico de Monterrey, The Institute for Obesity Research, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, 64849 Monterrey, NL, MexicoTecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Campus Puebla, Vía Atlixcáyotl 5718, Reserva Territorial Atlixcáyotl, C.P., 72453 Puebla, Pue, MexicoMore by Janet A. Gutiérrez-Uribehttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-1056-7126, and Marilena Antunes-RicardoMarilena Antunes-RicardoTecnologico de Monterrey, The Institute for Obesity Research, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, 64849 Monterrey, NL, MexicoTecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Campus Monterrey, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, 64849 Monterrey, NL, MexicoMore by Marilena Antunes-Ricardohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8546-6832Cite this: ACS Food Sci. Technol. 2023, 3, 3, 361–362Publication Date (Web):March 17, 2023Publication History Received21 February 2023Accepted21 February 2023Published online17 March 2023Published inissue 17 March 2023https://doi.org/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.3c00073Copyright © Published 2023 by American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views135Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (912 KB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Bioactive compounds,Bioactivity,Food,Plant derived food,Selenium Get e-Alerts

Depression mediates the relationship between alexithymia and obesity in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966)

BackgroundThe fact that a complex relationship exists between alexithymia and body mass index (BMI) is well established, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we explore the relationship between alexithymia and depressive symptoms in relation to adiposity measures, including the direct and indirect effect of alexithymia and depressive symptoms on obesity over a 15-year time-period, in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966). MethodsThe study included individuals from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966) who had available data for adiposity measures (body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio), alexithymia (measured by the 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: TAS-20), depressive symptoms (measured by the 13-item depression subscale of Hopkins Symptom Checklist: HSCL-13) at age of 31 years (n = 4773) and 46 years (n = 4431). Pearson's (r) correlation, and multiple linear regression were used to investigate the relationships between alexithymia, depressive symptoms, and adiposity measures. The potential mediating role of depressive symptoms was examined via Hayes' procedure (PROCESS). ResultsPositive correlations were confirmed between adiposity measures (BMI and WHR) and the TAS-20 score (and its subscale), but not between obesity and HSCL-13 score. The strongest correlation was between the DIF (difficulty identifying feelings) subscale of the TAS-20 and HSCL-13 at both time points (31 y: r(3013) = 0.41, p < 0.01, 46 y: r(3013) = 0.43, p < 0.01). Depressive symptoms completely (z = 2.55 (±0.00003), p = 0.01) and partly (z = 2.16 (±0.0001), p = 0.03) mediated the alexithymia-obesity relationship over the 15-year time-period. LimitationsOther psychological and environmental factors such as interoception, dietary intake and physical activities may also play a role as a potential mediating factor in alexithymia-obesity relationship. ConclusionsOur findings provide additional insights of theoretical framework of depressive symptoms mediation effect in the relationship between alexithymia and obesity. Alexithymia and depression should, therefore, be considered in the design of future clinical obesity research.

Obesity and cancer: Mouse models used in studies.

There is increasing evidence that obesity is associated with the occurrence and development of malignant tumors. When studying the relationship between obesity and malignant tumors, it is very important to choose an appropriate animal model. However, BALB/c nude mice and other animals commonly used to study tumor xenograft (human-derived tumor cell lines) transplantation models are difficult to induce obesity, while C57BL/6 mice and other model animals commonly used for obesity research are not suitable for tumor xenograft transplantation. Therefore, it is difficult to replicate both obesity and malignancy in animal models at the same time. This review summarizes several experimental animal models and protocols that can simultaneously induce obesity and tumor xenografts.