Paramjit S. Tappia - Pathophysiology of Obesity-Induced Health Complications

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Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Although obesity is preventable, according to the World Health Organization the global incidence of obesity has alarmingly nearly tripled since 1975. It is a global epidemic. Indeed, in 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight and 650 million of those were obese. The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an imbalance between caloric intake and expenditure. It is evident that the global trend has been moving towards an increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat, coupled with a decrease of physical activity due to the increasingly sedentary lifestyles of the general population.

The risk of occurrence of obesity-induced health complications increases exponentially as body mass index increases. Accordingly, this book has compiled comprehensive information and new insights into the biochemistry and pathophysiology of the increase in the risk of obesity-associated non-communicable diseasesmany of which increase the risk for premature death or can lead to serious chronic conditions that reduce the quality of life.

This book brings together an outline of the link between obesity and the onset of many adverse health conditions including diabetes (metabolic dysregulation), cardiovascular disease, mental health disorders, cancers, sleep disorders, liver and kidney disease and musculoskeletal disorders. The development of these diseases may be consequences of obesity-induced changes in cellular functioning in response to a pro-inflammatory environment, endocrine/metabolic dysfunction, activation of the autonomic nervous system, oxidative stress and impairment of several signal transduction pathways. Furthermore, we dedicate a section on some preventative strategies to combat obesity and related health complications.

While the major focus of this book is on the health consequences of obesity in adulthood, this book will also highlight the increase in obesity prevalence among children. This is of a major public health concern as obesity-related diseases not previously seen in children and adolescents are now of common occurrence.

The contributors to this book are international leading experts on obesity and associated health complications and highly knowledgeable within their respective areas of investigation. This book is also uniquely positioned to provide comprehensive perspectives on the biochemistry and pathophysiology of the effects of obesity. There are 19 chapters in 4 different parts in this book, comprising of Part I: General Aspects of Obesity and Health Complications (3 chapters); Part II: Metabolic Disturbances and Inflammation due to Obesity (5 chapters); Part III: Neurological and Visceral Complications due to Obesity (7 chapters) and Part IV; Strategies for the Prevention of Obesity-Induced Complications (4 chapters). Each section underscores the multifactorial nature of co-morbid conditions and complications.

A key intent of this volume is also to highlight the compendium of adverse consequences of obesity to human health and to provide current understanding of the cellular and biochemical mechanisms of obesity-induced health complications that will be of value not only to healthcare professionals, but will stimulate and motivate biomedical researchers and scientists to discover ways to prevent the epidemic of obesity and associated adverse health outcomes. Furthermore, this book will serve as a highly useful multidisciplinary resource for medical students, fellows, residents, and graduate students.

In summary, this monograph covers a broad range of topics related to the mechanisms of obesity-induced health complications. We hope that readers will understand and appreciate that obesity is significantly linked to increased risk and occurrence of lethal and non-lethal diseases and complications. Furthermore, the underlying message presented in the monograph is that the cause of obesity-related disorders is multifactorial and understanding the complexity and the full spectrum of the mechanisms involved may contribute to the development of novel interventions for the prevention and treatment of Obesity associated co-morbidities.