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Immunological complications of obesity

Nature Immunology volume 13, pages 707–712 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

Current approaches for the treatment of obesity, including diet and lifestyle changes, have not been successful in curtailing the obesity epidemic. The higher incidence of inflammation-associated chronic disease and greater susceptibility to infection in obese people represents a growing health threat. Improved understanding of the immunological processes that regulate obesity may yield new treatments for obesity-associated disorders.

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Figure 1: Obesity-associated diseases linked to complications of the immune system.

Marina Corral

Figure 2: Immune system–metabolic system interactions in obesity.
Figure 3: Inflammasomes fuel obesity-induced inflammation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Lukens for discussions and help in preparing the manuscript. Supported by the US National Institutes of Health (AR056296 and AI101935 to T.-D.K.; NIA-AG031797 and NIDDK-090556 to V.D.D.), the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (T.-D.K.) and the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation (V.D.D.).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti is in the Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.,

    Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti

  2. Vishwa Deep Dixit is in the Immunobiology Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA.,

    Vishwa Deep Dixit

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  1. Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti
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  2. Vishwa Deep Dixit
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Correspondence to Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti or Vishwa Deep Dixit.

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Kanneganti, TD., Dixit, V. Immunological complications of obesity. Nat Immunol 13, 707–712 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.2343

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