Web Focus
Focus on Childhood Obesity
- A significant cadre of research on obesity and related themes has been published in scientific journals in recent years. Obesity is the flip side of malnutrition – including wasting and stunting – and is spreading worldwide, from the richest to the poorest countries, according to changes in traditions and lifestyle. Therefore, overweight and obesity are paradoxically close to malnutrition and undernutrition and might share some biocultural roots.
- Some years ago in an editorial published in Pediatric Research, Reilly and coworkers underscored the dearth of evidence around the causes of pediatric obesity, with much of the available literature being limited quality and presenting inconclusive or contradictory results.1 The increasing evidence supporting the coexistence of these two opposing forms of malnutrition makes the topic of childhood obesity even more intriguing.
- This Focus on Childhood Obesity summarizes the primary themes of research surrounding obesity, specifically the research that is not solely focused on nutrition, as recently published in Pediatric Research and the International Journal of Obesity. The themes have been grouped into three areas: (1) basic and translational mechanisms, (2) socioeconomic and lifestyle correlates, and (3) xenobiotics.
- Regarding basic and translational mechanisms, the literature on direct biological mechanisms leading to adiposity is summarized, to include genetics and epigenetic transmission, the role of the maternal status during pregnancy (which strongly affects epigenetics) and early feeding behaviors, the emerging role of the microbiome, and fat-related proinflammatory factors with their reciprocal interactions.
- Socioeconomic factors and related lifestyles are also critical to understanding the spread of overweight and obesity. These factors increase exposure to conditions that are negatively related to health, such as smoking, depression, and cultural influences connected to low physical activity.
- Finally, xenobiotics (in the broad sense of "non-natural compounds") are becoming an independent topic of research because of their possible influences on the expression of genetic heredity.
- This collection of articles suggests research avenues that may improve future etiologic studies and provides a framework for integrating the diverse body of etiologic evidence available now and in the future. Particularly important is the need for more effective preventive interventions that are based on present research; these interventions should include both biological and social backgrounds. Within this context, efforts should be undertaken to correct both forms of malnutrition–those caused by dietary excesses and those caused dietary deficiencies.
- Guest Editor: Carlo Agostoni, Pediatric Clinic, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- 1. Reilly JJ, Ness AR, Sherriff A. Epidemiological and physiological approaches to understanding the etiology of pediatric obesity: finding the needle in the haystack. Pediatr Res 2007; 61:646-52
BASIC AND TRANSLATIONAL MECHANISMS
Impact of breast-feeding and high- and low-protein formula on the metabolism and growth of infants from overweight and obese mothers FREE
François-Pierre J. Martin, Sofia Moco, Ivan Montoliu, Sebastiano Collino, Laeticia Da Silva, Serge Rezzi, Ruth Prieto, Martin Kussmann, Jaime Inostroza and Philippe Steenhout
Pediatric Research 75: 535-543; Published online, 27 December 2013; doi:10.1038/pr.2013.250
Trajectory and correlates of growth of extremely-low-birth-weight adolescents FREE
Maureen Hack, Mark Schluchter, Seunghee Margevicius, Laura Andreias, H. Gerry Taylor and Leona Cuttler
Pediatric Research 75: 358-366; Published online, 11 November 2013; doi:10.1038/pr.2013.209
Developmental origins of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease FREE
David E. Brumbaugh and Jacob E. Friedman
Pediatric Research 75: 140-147; Published online, 05 November 2013; doi:10.1038/pr.2013.193
Of the bugs that shape us: maternal obesity, the gut microbiome, and long-term disease risk FREE
Wajiha Gohir, Elyanne M. Ratcliffe and Deborah M. Sloboda
Pediatric Research 77: 196-204; Published online, 14 October 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.169
Obesity-associated biomarkers and executive function in children FREE
Alison L. Miller, Hannah J. Lee and Julie C. Lumeng
Pediatric Research 77: 143-147; Published online, 13 October 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.158
Association study of childhood obesity with eight genetic variants recently identified by genome-wide association studies FREE
Xiang-Rui Meng, Jie-Yun Song, Jun Ma, Fang-Hong Liu, Xiao-Rui Shang, Xu-Jun Guo and Hai-Jun Wang
Pediatric Research 76: 310-315; Published online, 23 June 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.88
Maternal pregravid obesity changes gene expression profiles toward greater inflammation and reduced insulin sensitivity in umbilical cord FREE
Keshari M. Thakali, Jessica Saben, Jennifer B. Faske, Forrest Lindsey, Horacio Gomez-Acevedo, Curtis L. Lowery, Thomas M. Badger, Aline Andres and Kartik Shankar
Pediatric Research 76: 202-210; Published online, 12 May 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.72
Impact of maternal overnutrition on gluconeogenic factors and methylation of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase promoter in the fetal and postnatal liver FREE
Leewen Rattanatray, Beverly S. Muhlhausler, Lisa M. Nicholas, Janna L. Morrison and I. Caroline McMillen
Pediatric Research 75: 14-21; Published online, 14 October 2013; doi:10.1038/pr.2013.178
Fetal hyperglycemia and a high-fat diet contribute to aberrant glucose tolerance and hematopoiesis in adult rats FREE
Emily K. Blue, Kimberly Ballman, Frances Boyle, Eunjin Oh, Tatsuyoshi Kono, Sara K. Quinney, Debbie C. Thurmond, Carmella Evans-Molina and Laura S. Haneline
Pediatric Research 77: 316-325; Published online, 20 November 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.185
Gut microbiota: a source of novel tools to reduce the risk of human disease? FREE
Maria Carmen Collado, Samuli Rautava, Erika Isolauri and Seppo Salminen
Pediatric Research 77: 182-188; Published online, 21 October 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.173
Maternal tobacco smoke increased visceral adiposity and serum corticosterone levels in adult male rat offspring FREE
Erin K. Zinkhan, Brook Y. Lang, Baifeng Yu, Yan Wang, Chengshe Jiang, Melanie Fitzhugh, Marjanna Dahl, Michael S. Campbell, Camille Fung, Daniel Malleske, Kurt H. Albertine, Lisa Joss-Moore and Robert H. Lane
Pediatric Research 76: 17-23; Published online, 11 April 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.58
Balanced duo of anti-inflammatory SFRP5 and proinflammatory WNT5A in children FREE
Anna Prats-Puig, Pilar Soriano-Rodríguez, Gemma Carreras-Badosa, Elena Riera-Pérez, Monserrat Ros-Miquel, Antoni Gomila-Borja, Francis de Zegher, Lourdes Ibáñez, Judit Bassols and Abel López-Bermejo
Pediatric Research 75: 793-797; Published online, 06 March 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.29
Gestational diabetes induces alterations in the function of neonatal endothelial colony-forming cells FREE
Emily K. Blue, Robert DiGiuseppe, Ethel Derr-Yellin, Juan Carlos Acosta, S. Louise Pay, Helmut Hanenberg, Megan M. Schellinger, Sara K. Quinney, Julie A. Mund, Jamie Case and Laura S. Haneline
Pediatric Research 75: 266-272; Published online, 14 November 2013; doi:10.1038/pr.2013.224
Age at hormonal onset of puberty based on luteinizing hormone, inhibin B, and body composition in preadolescent US girls FREE
O. Yaw Addo, Bradley S. Miller, Peter A. Lee, Mary L. Hediger and John H. Himes
Pediatric Research 76: 564-570; Published online, 05 September 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.131
Gut microbiome and nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases FREE
Lixin Zhu, Robert D. Baker and Susan S. Baker
Pediatric Research 77: 245-251; Published online, 13 October 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.157
Ingested soluble CD14 from milk is transferred intact into the blood of newborn rats FREE
Tonya L. Ward, William J. Spencer, Laura D.R. Davis, JoAnn Harrold, David R. Mack and Illimar Altosaar
Pediatric Research 75: 252-258; Published online, 14 November 2013; doi:10.1038/pr.2013.225
Effect of obesity intervention programs on adipokines, insulin resistance, lipid profile, and low-grade inflammation in 3- to 5-y-old children FREE
Gianni Bocca, Eva Corpeleijn, Ronald P. Stolk, Bruce H. Wolffenbuttel and Pieter J. Sauer
Pediatric Research 75: 352-357; Published online, 14 November 2013; doi:10.1038/pr.2013.216
Adipocyte-derived exosomal miRNAs: a novel mechanism for obesity-related disease FREE
Sarah C. Ferrante, Evan P. Nadler, Dinesh K. Pillai, Monica J. Hubal, Zuyi Wang, Justin M. Wang, Heather Gordish-Dressman, Emily Koeck, Samantha Sevilla, Andrew A. Wiles and Robert J. Freishtat
Pediatric Research 77: 447-454; Published online, 17 December 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.202
Adiponectin and markers of metabolic syndrome in obese children and adolescents: impact of 8-mo regular physical exercise program FREE
Henrique Nascimento, Elísio Costa, Susana Rocha, Clarice Lucena, Petronila Rocha-Pereira, Carla Rêgo, Helena Ferreira Mansilha, Alexandre Quintanilha, Luísa Aires, Jorge Mota, Alice Santos-Silva and Luís Belo
Pediatric Research 76: 159-165; Published online, 12 May 2014; doi:10.1038/pr.2014.73
The intestinal microbiota composition and weight development in children: the KOALA Birth Cohort Study
L E J M Scheepers, J Penders, C A Mbakwa, C Thijs, M Mommers and I C W Arts
International Journal of Obesity 39: 16-25; Published online, 09 October 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.178
SOCIOECONOMIC AND LIFESTYLE CORRELATES
Does the FTO gene interact with the socioeconomic status on the obesity development among young European children? Results from the IDEFICS study
R Foraita, F Günther, W Gwozdz, L A Reisch, P Russo, F Lauria, A Siani, T Veidebaum, M Tornaritis, L Iacoviello, K Vyncke, Y Pitsiladis, S Mårild, D Molnár, L A Moreno, K Bammann and I Pigeot
International Journal of Obesity 39: 1-6; Published online, 19 August 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.156
Obesity and depression in adolescence and beyond: reciprocal risks
N R Marmorstein, W G Iacono and L Legrand
International Journal of Obesity 38: 906-911; Published online, 31 January 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.19
Ethnic variation in the association between sleep and body mass among US adolescents
E N Reither, P M Krueger, L Hale, E M Reiter and P E Peppard
International Journal of Obesity 38: 944-949; Published online, 31 January 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.18
Parental smoking during pregnancy and total and abdominal fat distribution in school-age children: the Generation R Study
B Durmuş, D H M Heppe, H R Taal, R Manniesing, H Raat, A Hofman, E A P Steegers, R Gaillard and V W V Jaddoe
International Journal of Obesity 38: 966-972; Published online, 22 January 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.9
Are overweight and obese youths more often bullied by their peers? A meta-analysis on the relation between weight status and bullying
M van Geel, P Vedder and J Tanilon
International Journal of Obesity 38: 1263-1267; Published online, 08 July 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.117
When ignorance is bliss: weight perception, body mass index and quality of life in adolescents FREE
J Hayward, L Millar, S Petersen, B Swinburn and A J Lewis
International Journal of Obesity 38: 1328-1334; Published online, 14 May 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.78
Obesity impairs academic attainment in adolescence: findings from ALSPAC, a UK cohort FREE
J N Booth, P D Tomporowski, J M E Boyle, A R Ness, C Joinson, S D Leary and J J Reilly
International Journal of Obesity 38: 1335-1342; Published online, 11 March 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.40
Sleep and energy intake in early childhood FREE
A Fisher, L McDonald, C H M van Jaarsveld, C Llewellyn, A Fildes, S Schrempft and J Wardle
International Journal of Obesity 38: 926-929; Published online, 26 March 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.50
XENOBIOTICS
Body mass index in young school-age children in relation to organochlorine compounds in early life: a prospective study
B B Høyer, C H Ramlau-Hansen, T B Henriksen, H S Pedersen, K Góralczyk, V Zviezdai, B A G Jönsson, D Heederik, V Lenters, R Vermeulen, J P Bonde and G Toft
International Journal of Obesity 38: 919-925; Published online, 10 April 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.58
Maternal hormonal contraceptive use and offspring overweight or obesity
E T Jensen, J L Daniels, T Stürmer, W R Robinson, C J Williams, D Moster, P B Juliusson, K Vejrup, P Magnus and M P Longnecker
International Journal of Obesity 38: 1275-1281; Published online, 02 July 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.114
Infant antibiotic exposure and the development of childhood overweight and central adiposity
M B Azad, S L Bridgman, A B Becker and A L Kozyrskyj
International Journal of Obesity 38: 1290-1298; Published online, 11 July 2014; doi:10.1038/ijo.2014.119
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