Epigenetic contribution to obesity
Meriem Ouni, Annette Schürmann
Abstract
Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and contributes to global morbidity and mortality mediated via the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), type 2 diabetes (T2D), cardiovascular (CVD) and other diseases. It is a consequence of an elevated caloric intake, a sedentary lifestyle and a genetic as well as an epigenetic predisposition. This review summarizes changes in DNA methylation and microRNAs identified in blood cells and different tissues in obese human and rodent models. It includes information on epigenetic alterations which occur in response to fat-enriched diets, exercise and metabolic surgery and discusses the potential of interventions to reverse epigenetic modifications.
Topics & Concepts
BiologyHuman geneticsEpigeneticsObesityGeneticsComputational biologyEvolutionary biologyGeneEndocrinologyBirth, Development, and HealthDiet and metabolism studiesEpigenetics and DNA Methylation