Perspective on -studies related to obesity, diet and adipocytokines

Abstract

Obesity is a major health problem that is increasing in both prevalence and severity. It is associated with increased risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.Increased food intake, particularly a diet high in calories and fat content, combined with decreased energy expenditure associated with modern lifestyle, are the majorenvironmental causes of obesity (Bjorntorp , 1997; World Health Organization,2000). Numerous studies have demonstrated that subjects given high-fat food also had a high-calorie intake ( Stubbs et al.,1995). A diet excessive in dietary fat and calories promotes the development of obesity. There is a direct relationship between the amount of dietary fat and calories and the degree of obesity (Golay and Bobbioni, 1997). However, environmental factors may not fully explain the rapidly increasing rates of obesity (Levin, 2000;Moreno et al., 2001). Genetic predisposition for obesity may underlie the tendency for weight gain in some individuals (Marti et al., 2000). To date, the interactions between environmental and genetic factors and the effects that such interplay might have on weight gain and maintenance is not fully understood (Chiang &MacDougald, 2003;Mariman 2006).