Obesity impacts your waistline and triggers a cascade of inflammation that can affect your brain.
Here's how:
Chronic Inflammation: Obesity leads to chronic, low-grade inflammation, disrupting the communication between your body and brain.
Blood-Brain Barrier: This inflammation increases the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, allowing harmful substances to affect brain function.
Adipose Tissue: White adipose tissue (WAT) expands and becomes stressed, releasing pro-inflammatory signals through pathways like TLR4 and NF-κB.
Leptin Resistance: High levels of leptin, meant to regulate appetite, become ineffective, promoting overeating and further weight gain.
Cytokine Storm: Pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF, IL-1β, IL-6, TGFβ) circulate, causing insulin resistance and damaging organs like the liver and pancreas.
Microglial Activation: Inflammation activates microglia in the brain, contributing to cognitive impairments and increasing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
Understanding these molecular mechanisms can help us develop better interventions for obesity-related health issues. Stay informed, stay healthy!
Le Thuc, O., García-Cáceres, C. Obesity-induced inflammation: connecting the periphery to the brain. Nat Metab (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-024-01079-8

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