Methodology for the study of the regulation of body weight and/or the aetiology of obesity

Abstract

Obesity, one of the most serious health problems of developed societies, is the result of a positive energy balance maintained over time. The regulation of body weight and its maintenance seem to be regulated by an axis of three interdependent components: dietary intake, energy expenditure and adipogenesis, although it is necessary a deeper understanding of the processes involved in the oxidation of nutrients and in the energy balance. The metabolic processes are numerous and inter-related, it is however convenient to study them separately in such a way that it is possible to obtain a better knowledge of the complete system. Indeed, this is the procedure employed in the design of numerous experiments, be they on laboratory animals, cellular cultures, or even on human beings when the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of body weight are examined. Both in vitro methods (cellular and subcellular models) and in vivo ones have made it possible to increase knowledge of the mechanisms that control body weight. It is worth underlining the new strategies that the molecular era and provides us with, although the techniques that consider the human organism as a whole might have a notable influence on the development of new drugs, together with therapeutic management and the prevention of obesity.