Obesity, inflammation and diet

Abstract

Obesity is a state in which there is an over-accumulation of subcutaneous and/or abdominal adipose tissue. This adipose tissue is no longer considered inert and mainly devoted to storing energy; it is emerging as an active tissue in the regulation of physiological and pathological processes, including immunity and inflammation. Adipose tissue produces and releases a variety of adipokines (leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and visfatin), as well as pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin [IL]-4, IL-6, and others). Adipose tissue is also implicated in the development of chronic metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus or cardiovascular disease. Obesity is thus an underlying condition for inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Diet or dietary patterns play critical roles in obesity and other pathophysiological conditions. A healthy diet and some nutrients are generally considered beneficial; however, some dietary nutrients are still considered controversial. In this article, dietary factors that influence inflammation associated with obesity are discussed.

Keywords: Adipose tissue; Clinical trial; Diet; Epidemiology; Inflammation; Obesity.

Fig. 1

Diagram of adipokines released from adipocytes. TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α, IL: interleukin, IFN-γ: interferon-γ, VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor, TGF-β: transforming growth factor-β, PAI-1: plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.

Fig. 2

Healthy immune balance between malnutrition and over-nutrition.