As Greenburg and Obin point out, in 2001 the number of obese adults reached almost 21%. That statistic has grown to 34.9% of adults are obese adults in the U.S. alone. As the numbers of obese grow, obesity becomes more a more a public health issue. "Numerous diseases are considered to be either caused by obesity as the sole cause or in part caused by it. Just a few these include type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, hypercholesterolemia, arthritis, and certain cancers. Within the past few decades, more understanding of adipocytes has taken place. It is now known they are important metabolically. Their function is also dictated by a number of factors which include diet, exercise, hormones and genetics. Adipocytes play a role in controlling how much fat is deposited in important organs such as the liver and muscle, improving insulin sensitivity and decreasing triglycerides. They also regulate two important hormones, adiponectin and leptin. Adiponectin is a hormone that regulates glucose tolerance and sensitivity. In addition, its levels are associated with type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. On the other hand, leptin influences food uptake. In mice, missing the gene for leptin, exhibit extreme obesity and are diabetic. It also regulates fat mass.
In individuals that are becoming obese, changes occur in adipocytes. Compared to their leaner counterparts, the obese have an inflammatory phenotype. In addition to TNF-a, they also produce higher levels of Il-6 and MCP-1. Macrophages increase with obesity and their presence is responsible for the production of TNF-a and a lot of IL-6. There is also a large increase in insulin. All of which decrease upon application of a diabetes drug. The inflammation also contributes to the downregulation of adiponectin which naturally inhibits TNF-a." (Greenberg and Obin)
In other blogs, I have explained that for those who suffer from environmental illnesses, it is important to clean up the gut. Recent studies show that there is a direct connection from the gut to the brain. I believe that many people that suffer from these conditions must be vigilant in how they eat and what they drink because the health of the gut depends on it. Again, let me mention that I also believe that aberrant signalling from the AhR and Nrf2 may contribute to environmental illness. At least in terms of the AhR, Zhang et al states that the AhR plays an influential role in the gut and that role plays an important part in metabolism in obesity from persistent organic pollutants. In a new study, Zhang and his colleague hypothesized that gut homeostasis is disturbed by exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPS) through the diet and those exposures can lead to obesity. I must comment here that whether exposure to POPS or a Western diet leads to obesity, the process and the physiology is much the same as I described above. "During this study, 6 weeks old wild-type and mice that were AhR -/- were fed 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF), a persistent environmental contaminant for 5 days. Several studies were done to assess how this contaminant affected the gut microbiome and what other effects presented themselves from exposure to the TCDF. At the end of the study, the researchers determined there was a change in the populations from more Firmicutes to Bacteriodetes. Both of which have metabolic responsibilities. Also, TDCF-treated mice were enriched with Butyrivibrio but depleted in Oscillobacter and the change was associated with altered bile metabolism. Also, there was a significant increase in inflammation as a result of bacterial fermentation and altering hepatic lipogenesis, gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, in an AHR-dependent manner. It is concluded that POPs alter signalling the AhR to affect changes in metabolism. Changes also occur simultaneously in the gut species that increase inflammation. " The author states that past studies have demonstrated that the AhR-Il22 impacts mucosa in the gut. In addition, dietary components and environmental contaminants alter gut homeostasis and leads to disease including obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease. (Zhang)
For further reading: (there are more than those listed here)
Inflammation Can Cause Depression!
Health Consequences Can Be More Severe When Multiple Environmental Toxicant Exposures Occur at the Same Time!
TLR4 Activity in the Gut Contributes to Symptoms in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome!
Adult Obesity Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
Obesity and the role of adipose tissue in inflammation and metabolism American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 83, No. 2. (February 2006), pp. 4615-4655 by Andrew S. Greenberg, Martin S. Obin. http://www.citeulike.org/user/kimberlykramer2015/article/13568522
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