Long-term obesity is associated with depression and neuroinflammation

ABSTRACT Objective: Obesity is characterized by a state of chronic, low-intensity systemic inflammation frequently associated with insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Materials and methods: Given that chronic inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of mood disorders, we investigated if chronic obesity that was initiated early in life - lasting through adulthood - could be more harmful to memory impairment and mood fluctuations such as depression. Results: Here we show that pre-pubertal male rats (30 days old) treated with a high-fat diet (40%) for 8-months gained ~50% more weight when compared to controls, exhibited depression and anxiety-like behaviors but no memory impairment. The prefrontal cortex of the obese rats exhibited an increase in the expression of genes related to inflammatory response, such as NFKb, MMP9, CCl2, PPARb, and PPARg. There were no alterations in genes known to be related to depression. Conclusion: Long-lasting obesity with onset in prepuberal age led to depression and neuroinflammation but not to memory impairment.

Juvenile Obesity Aggravates Disease Severity in a Rat Model of Atopic Dermatitis

PURPOSE: There is increasing epidemiological evidence of an association between childhood obesity and atopic dermatitis, but little is known about the underlying mechanism(s). In the present study, we used a rat model of atopic dermatitis to assess whether juvenile obesity, induced by reduction of litter size, aggravated the signs of atopic dermatitis and, if so, whether this aggravation was associated with changes in plasma concentration of adipokines, such as leptin and adiponectin. METHODS: Dermatitis was induced by neonatal capsaicin treatment. Body weight, dermatitis score, serum IgE, skin nerve growth factor (NGF), serum leptin and adiponectin, and cytokine mRNA expression in the skin lesion were compared between small (SL, 5 pups) and large litters (LL, 15 pups). RESULTS: The body weight of juvenile rats up to 6 weeks of age was significantly heavier in the SL group, compared with those in the LL group. The SL group showed more robust development of dermatitis, and higher levels of serum IgE and skin NGF than the LL group. Additionally, the SL group demonstrated higher levels of leptin and pro-inflammatory cytokine mRNA but lower levels of adiponectin than the LL group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest a causal link between a decrease in immunological tolerance, induced by juvenile obesity, and aggravation of atopic dermatitis.

El sobrepeso y la obesidad como un problema de salud / Overweight and obesity as an universal health problem

Se destaca al sobrepeso y obesidad como el principal condicionante actual de patología crónica no transmisible. Se identifican y discuten las principales comorbilidades asociadas al sobrepeso y obesidad, analizando las evidencias que las apoyan. Se destaca el rol de la adiposidad en la etiopatogenia del síndrome metabólico y en forma muy especial de la DM. Se analiza la asociación entre indicadores de masa corporal y tejido adiposo y tasas de mortalidad, destacando un significativo incremento de la mortalidad a medida que la masa corporal o grasa se incrementa. Se destacan los rangos asociados a la menor mortalidad, nadires que fundamentan los rangos de peso normal. Se discute en forma separada la asociación entre sobrepeso yobesidad en la infancia y adolescencia y salud, en especial su posible rol en la incidencia de patologías crónicas al alcanzar la adultez.

The article highlights overweight and obesity as the main factor in some current chronic diseases. Also it identifies and discusses major co-morbidities associated with overweight and obesity, analyzing the evidence that support them. The role of adiposity in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome especially in the development of mellitus diabetes 2 is discussed. We analyze the association between indicators of body mass and adipose tissue and mortality, highlighting a significant increase in mortality as the fat body mass increases and shows the range associated with lower mortality, basing the normal weight ranges. Will be discussing separately the association between overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence health, especially its possible role in the incidence of chronic diseases that will develop at adulthood.