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Nutrition, Obesity and Associated Morbidities
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Nutrition, Obesity and Associated Morbidities

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioactives and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 11364

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Melania Manco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unit of Endocrinology, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00146 Rome, Italy
Interests: obesity; insulin resistance and secretion; type 2 diabetes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

High-caloric diets and sedentary lifestyles have been identified as the main causes of epidemic obesity.

Excess weight represents a condition of meta-inflammation that boosts the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic abnormalities that are linked to obesity. Dyslipidemia, metabolic fatty liver disease, hypertension, and atherosclerosis are among the main abnormalities. Obesity, very importantly, is associated with impaired immune response, altered hormonal milieu, and sensitivity to hormone action at different tissue and body levels. Functional foods and bioactive compounds, from traditional and not traditional diets, may contribute to weight management and obesity prevention trough a number of different molecular mechanisms and physiological pathways, but more importantly, they can powerfully reduce the burden of associated morbidities. We welcome studies in humans investigating possible mechanisms of action of single and identifiable bioactive compounds and functional foods. We are especially interested in compounds that are available from traditional diet and may have effects on satiety and energy expenditure, lipid absorption, fatty acids beta oxidation, liver metabolism, stimulation of thermogenesis, gut microbiota and permeability, immune system boosting, and hormone action. Studies investigating the interaction of compounds and genetics in relation to obesity and associated morbidities are also welcome.

This Special Issue aims to collect robust scientific evidence to support the use of identified bioactive compounds and functional foods in clinical practice to prevent and reduce the burden of overweight and associated morbidities.

Prof. Dr. Melania Manco
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • functional food
  • bioactive compound
  • obesity
  • cardiovascular disease
  • metabolic syndrome
  • dyslipidemia
  • fatty liver
  • precision nutrition
  • traditional foods
  • nutraceuticals

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2125 KiB  
Article
Circulating Extracellular Vesicles Impair Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Differentiation Favoring Adipogenic Rather than Osteogenic Differentiation in Adolescents with Obesity
by Barbara Peruzzi, Enrica Urciuoli, Michela Mariani, Laura Chioma, Luigi Tomao, Ilaria Montano, Mattia Algeri, Rosa Luciano, Danilo Fintini and Melania Manco
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(1), 447; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24010447 - 27 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1435
Abstract
Excess body weight has been considered beneficial to bone health because of its anabolic effect on bone formation; however, this results in a poor quality bone structure. In this context, we evaluated the involvement of circulating extracellular vesicles in the impairment of the [...] Read more.
Excess body weight has been considered beneficial to bone health because of its anabolic effect on bone formation; however, this results in a poor quality bone structure. In this context, we evaluated the involvement of circulating extracellular vesicles in the impairment of the bone phenotype associated with obesity. Circulating extracellular vesicles were collected from the plasma of participants with normal weight, as well as overweight and obese participants, quantified by flow cytometry analysis and used to treat mesenchymal stromal cells and osteoblasts to assess their effect on cell differentiation and activity. Children with obesity had the highest amount of circulating extracellular vesicles compared to controls. The treatment of mesenchymal stromal cells with extracellular vesicles from obese participants led to an adipogenic differentiation in comparison to vesicles from controls. Mature osteoblasts treated with extracellular vesicles from obese participants showed a reduction in differentiation markers in comparison to controls. Children with obesity who regularly performed physical exercise had a lower circulating extracellular vesicle amount in comparison to those with a sedentary lifestyle. This pilot study demonstrates how the high amount of circulating extracellular vesicles in children with obesity affects the bone phenotype and that physical activity can partially rescue this phenotype. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition, Obesity and Associated Morbidities)
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17 pages, 2775 KiB  
Article
Diet-Induced Gut Barrier Dysfunction Is Exacerbated in Mice Lacking Cannabinoid 1 Receptors in the Intestinal Epithelium
by Mark B. Wiley and Nicholas V. DiPatrizio
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(18), 10549; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms231810549 - 11 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1590
Abstract
The gut barrier provides protection from pathogens and its function is compromised in diet-induced obesity (DIO). The endocannabinoid system in the gut is dysregulated in DIO and participates in gut barrier function; however, whether its activity is protective or detrimental for gut barrier [...] Read more.
The gut barrier provides protection from pathogens and its function is compromised in diet-induced obesity (DIO). The endocannabinoid system in the gut is dysregulated in DIO and participates in gut barrier function; however, whether its activity is protective or detrimental for gut barrier integrity is unclear. We used mice conditionally deficient in cannabinoid receptor subtype-1 (CB1R) in the intestinal epithelium (intCB1−/−) to test the hypothesis that CB1Rs in intestinal epithelial cells provide protection from diet-induced gut barrier dysfunction. Control and intCB1−/− mice were placed for eight weeks on a high-fat/sucrose Western-style diet (WD) or a low-fat/no-sucrose diet. Endocannabinoid levels and activity of their metabolic enzymes were measured in the large-intestinal epithelium (LI). Paracellular permeability was tested in vivo, and expression of genes for gut barrier components and inflammatory markers were analyzed. Mice fed WD had (i) reduced levels of endocannabinoids in the LI due to lower activity of their biosynthetic enzymes, and (ii) increased permeability that was exacerbated in intCB1−/− mice. Moreover, intCB1−/− mice fed WD had decreased expression of genes for tight junction proteins and increased expression of inflammatory markers in LI. These results suggest that CB1Rs in the intestinal epithelium serve a protective role in gut barrier function in DIO. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition, Obesity and Associated Morbidities)
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15 pages, 3389 KiB  
Article
Inulin Improves Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis and Increases Intestinal Akkermansia Genus Level
by Carlos Pérez-Monter, Alejandro Álvarez-Arce, Natalia Nuño-Lambarri, Ivonne Escalona-Nández, Eva Juárez-Hernández, Norberto C. Chávez-Tapia, Misael Uribe and Varenka J. Barbero-Becerra
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(2), 991; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23020991 - 17 Jan 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4977
Abstract
Hepatic steatosis is characterized by triglyceride accumulation within hepatocytes in response to a high calorie intake, and it may be related to intestinal microbiota disturbances. The prebiotic inulin is a naturally occurring polysaccharide with a high dietary fiber content. Here, we evaluate the [...] Read more.
Hepatic steatosis is characterized by triglyceride accumulation within hepatocytes in response to a high calorie intake, and it may be related to intestinal microbiota disturbances. The prebiotic inulin is a naturally occurring polysaccharide with a high dietary fiber content. Here, we evaluate the effect of inulin on the intestinal microbiota in a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease model. Mice exposed to a standard rodent diet or a fat-enriched diet, were supplemented or not, with inulin. Liver histology was evaluated with oil red O and H&E staining and the intestinal microbiota was determined in mice fecal samples by 16S rRNA sequencing. Inulin treatment effectively prevents liver steatosis in the fat-enriched diet group. We also observed that inulin re-shaped the intestinal microbiota at the phylum level, were Verrucomicrobia genus significantly increased in the fat-diet group; specifically, we observed that Akkermansia muciniphila increased by 5-fold with inulin supplementation. The family Prevotellaceae was also significantly increased in the fat-diet group. Overall, we propose that inulin supplementation in liver steatosis-affected animals, promotes a remodeling in the intestinal microbiota composition, which might regulate lipid metabolism, thus contributing to tackling liver steatosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition, Obesity and Associated Morbidities)
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21 pages, 2952 KiB  
Article
An Association between Diet and MC4R Genetic Polymorphism, in Relation to Obesity and Metabolic Parameters—A Cross Sectional Population-Based Study
by Edyta Adamska-Patruno, Witold Bauer, Dorota Bielska, Joanna Fiedorczuk, Monika Moroz, Urszula Krasowska, Przemyslaw Czajkowski, Marta Wielogorska, Katarzyna Maliszewska, Sylwia Puckowska, Lukasz Szczerbinski, Danuta Lipinska, Maria Gorska and Adam Kretowski
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(21), 12044; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms222112044 - 07 Nov 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2385
Abstract
The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene harbours one of the strongest susceptibility loci for obesity and obesity-related metabolic consequences. We analysed whether dietary factors may attenuate the associations between MC4R genotypes and obesity and metabolic parameters. In 819 participants genotyped for common MC4R polymorphisms [...] Read more.
The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene harbours one of the strongest susceptibility loci for obesity and obesity-related metabolic consequences. We analysed whether dietary factors may attenuate the associations between MC4R genotypes and obesity and metabolic parameters. In 819 participants genotyped for common MC4R polymorphisms (rs17782313, rs12970134, rs633265, and rs135034), the anthropometric measurements, body fat content and distribution (visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue, VAT and SAT, respectively), and blood glucose, insulin, total-, LDL-, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides concentrations, and daily macronutrient intake were assessed. ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis tests were used, and multivariate linear regression models were developed. We observed that the CC genotype carriers (rs17782313) presented higher VAT, VAT/SAT ratio, fasting blood glucose and triglyceride concentrations when they were stratified to the upper quantiles of protein intake. An increase in energy derived from proteins was associated with higher BMI (Est. 5.74, R2 = 0.12), body fat content (Est. 8.44, R2 = 0.82), VAT (Est. 32.59, R2 = 0.06), and VAT/SAT ratio (Est. 0.96, R2 = 0.05). The AA genotype carriers (rs12970134) presented higher BMI, body fat, SAT and VAT, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides and total cholesterol concentrations. An increase in energy derived from proteins by AA carriers was associated with higher VAT (Est.19.95, R2 = 0.06) and VAT/SAT ratio (Est. 0.64, R2 = 0.05). Our findings suggest that associations of the common MC4R SNPs with obesity and its metabolic complications may be dependent on the daily dietary intake, which may open new areas for developing personalised diets for preventing and treating obesity and obesity-related comorbidities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition, Obesity and Associated Morbidities)
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