ESPE Abstracts

The development of obesity begins early in life. From our large observational studies we know that the age between 3-6 years appears critical for development of obesity in children and once established, childhood obesity regularly persists into adulthood leading to premature morbidity and even mortality. In addition to the mere expansion of fat mass with developing childhood obesity, there are alterations in adipose tissue function such as adipocyte hypertrophy, inflammation a...

The obesity pandemic is likely multifactorial, comprised primarily of reduced caloric expenditure and increased caloric intake secondary to dietary changes, coupled with host genetic predisposition and other environmental exposures. The role of the host microbiome in metabolism, energy expenditure, and metabolic disorders, including obesity, has more recently come under scrutiny as well. For example, several perturbations in the host microbiome have been associated with obesit...

Obesity—defined as excess fat mass which impacts on physical health—is a complex and multifactorial disease where numerous environmental factors (overeating and/or reduced physical activity) act in concert with genetic factors. Understanding molecular mechanisms of obesity has rapidly improved in recent years due to the development of faster, more specific genetic screening tools (1). Rare genetic obesities are distinguished from more-common polygenic obesities where...