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Feature Articles on Obesity and Weight Loss Treatments

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Obesity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 22274

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Prof. Dr. Jose M. Soriano del Castillo

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Guest Editor

1. Food & Health Laboratory, Institute of Materials Science, University of Valencia, 46980 Paterna, Spain
2. Joint Research Unit on Endocrinology, Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics, University of Valencia-Health Research Institute La Fe, 46026 Valencia, Spain
Interests: nutrition; medicinal plants; natural products; human health; bioactive compounds
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, obesity, is a pandemic, that increases the risk of several chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, among others, affecting in the quality of life and lead to psychological problems. Weight loss appears to be the most effective therapy for obesity and obesity related comorbidity. However, several treatments (called magic or miracle diets) might have led to the death of a patient, meaning that it is important for people seeking to lose weight to be followed by a nutrition professional until the individual reaches a desirable body weight. Furthermore, the application of multidisciplinary focus in the slimming diets help to increase the efficacy of the treatment.

In this Special Issue, we welcome reviews and original articles related to any aspect of obesity and weight loss treatments, from the historical and cultural viewpoints of slimming diets to different weight loss treatments and new advances in the nutrigenomics, the microbiome, and gene-environment interactions in obesity patients. We will also consider manuscripts focussed in the use of innovative technologies such as mobile apps. metaverse or wearable devices. Reviews and original articles analysing the clinical usefulness of anthropometry and biomarkers in the evolution of patients with weight loss treatment will also be welcome.

Prof. Dr. Jose M. Soriano
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

obesity
weight loss treatment
anthropometry
slimming diets
history of weight loss treatments
cultural aspect of obesity
body composition changes
nutrigenomics
microbiome
gene-environment interactions
biomarkers
new technology in the weight loss treatment

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1886 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Periconceptional Maternal Protein Intake from Animal and Plant Sources and the Impact on Early and Late Prenatal Growth and Birthweight: The Rotterdam Periconceptional Cohort

by Sofie van Zundert, Simone van der Padt, Sten Willemsen, Melek Rousian, Mina Mirzaian, Ron van Schaik, Régine Steegers-Theunissen and Lenie van Rossem

Nutrients 2022, 14(24), 5309; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14245309 - 14 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2867

Abstract

Plant-based diets continue to rise in popularity, including among women of reproductive age, while consequences for pregnancy outcomes have hardly been studied. During pregnancy, maternal diet is the only source of proteins for the developing fetus. Hence, we investigated the effects of periconceptional maternal animal and plant protein intake on prenatal growth and birthweight. 501 pregnancies were included from the prospective Rotterdam Periconceptional Cohort. Embryonic growth was depicted by crown-rump length (CRL) and embryonic volume (EV) at 7, 9 and 11 weeks using 3D ultrasound scans. Estimated fetal weight (EFW) at 20 weeks and birthweight were retrieved from medical records and standardized. Multivariable mixed models were used for CRL and EV trajectories, and linear regression for EFW and birthweight. A 10 g/day higher maternal animal protein intake was positively associated with increased embryonic growth (CRL: β = 0.023 √mm, p = 0.052; EV: β = 0.015 ∛cm, p = 0.012). A positive association, albeit non-significant, was found between maternal animal protein intake and EFW, and birthweight. No clear associations emerged between maternal plant protein intake and prenatal growth and birthweight, with effect estimates close to zero. In conclusion, maternal animal protein intake during the periconception period was positively associated with early and late prenatal growth and birthweight, while no associations were found between maternal plant protein intake and prenatal growth and birthweight. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Articles on Obesity and Weight Loss Treatments)

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14 pages, 1259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Plasma FGF21 Levels Are Not Associated with Weight Loss or Improvements in Metabolic Health Markers upon 12 Weeks of Energy Restriction: Secondary Analysis of an RCT

by Anouk Gijbels, Sophie Schutte, Diederik Esser, Charlotte C. J. R. Michielsen, Els Siebelink, Monica Mars, Marco Mensink and Lydia A. Afman

Nutrients 2022, 14(23), 5061; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14235061 - 28 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2664

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) may be a marker of metabolic health status. We performed a secondary analysis of a 12-week randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of two energy restriction (ER) diets on fasting and postprandial plasma FGF21 levels, as well as to explore correlations of plasma FGF21 with metabolic health markers, (macro)nutrient intake and sweet-taste preference. Abdominally obese subjects aged 40–70 years (n = 110) were randomized to one of two 25% ER diets (high-nutrient-quality diet or low-nutrient-quality diet) or a control group. Plasma FGF21 was measured in the fasting state and 120 min after a mixed meal. Both ER diets did not affect fasting or postprandial plasma FGF21 levels despite weight loss and accompanying health improvements. At baseline, the postprandial FGF21 response was inversely correlated to fasting plasma glucose (ρ = −0.24, p = 0.020) and insulin (ρ = −0.32, p = 0.001), HOMA-IR (ρ = −0.34, p = 0.001), visceral adipose tissue (ρ = −0.24, p = 0.046), and the liver enzyme aspartate aminotransferase (ρ = −0.23, p = 0.021). Diet-induced changes in these markers did not correlate to changes in plasma FGF21 levels upon intervention. Baseline higher habitual polysaccharide intake, but not mono- and disaccharide intake or sweet-taste preference, was related to lower fasting plasma FGF21 (p = 0.022). In conclusion, we found no clear evidence that fasting plasma FGF21 is a marker for metabolic health status. Circulating FGF21 dynamics in response to an acute nutritional challenge may reflect metabolic health status better than fasting levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Articles on Obesity and Weight Loss Treatments)

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10 pages, 628 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Nutritional Quality of Products Sold in University Vending Machines According to the Front-of-Pack (FoP) Guide

by Carmen Lasala, Antonio Durán, Daniel Lledó and Jose M. Soriano

Nutrients 2022, 14(23), 5010; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14235010 - 25 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1732

Abstract

The aim of this research was to assess the nutritional composition of 654 foods and beverages from vending machines on a University Campus. The guide called “Creating a front of pack nutrition label for pre-packed products sold through retail outlets” from the Department of Health (UK) was used to assess the nutritional composition and to compare values from food and beverage categories. A high proportion of food items had high–moderate content of nutrients related to chronic disease (93, 88, 74 and 49% had high–moderate content of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar, respectively). On the other hand, a few beverages had high–moderate content of these nutrients, except for sugar (2% high to moderate in fat, 2% in saturated fat, 0% in salt and 39% in sugar). The most frequent food categories were chocolates and bars (10.6%) and breadsticks (8.4%), whereas the most available beverages were water (27.7%) and soft drinks (23.4%). There were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of categories between the health science and humanities faculties, except for energy drinks (p < 0.05) and soft drinks (p < 0.05). Vending machines contribute to an obesogenic environment and do not support healthy snacking. Recommendations in this article should be considered to develop official guidelines to ensure the wider availability of healthy dietary choices in vending machines in university settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Articles on Obesity and Weight Loss Treatments)

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19 pages, 324 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Health Determinants Associated with the Mediterranean Diet: A Cross-Sectional Study

by Nadia San Onofre Bernat, Joan Quiles i Izquierdo and Eva María Trescastro-López

Nutrients 2022, 14(19), 4110; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14194110 - 3 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2065

Abstract

Introduction: The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been shown to be a good tool for the prevention of obesity and other chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and to have a low environmental impact. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between declared morbidity, lifestyles and other sociodemographic factors with high adherence to the MD (AMD) in an adult population in southeastern Spain. Material and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of a sample (n = 2728) representative of a non-institutionalized population ≥16 years. The data corresponded to the 2010-11 Nutrition Survey of the Valencian Community. The AMD was assessed using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener questionnaire. The association of variables and high AMD was assessed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression determining crude and adjusted odds ratios. Results: Multivariate analysis showed that age 45 years or older, living with a partner, eating between meals, and not smoking were associated with high AMD. The age groups 45–64 years and 65 years or older showed the strongest association with high AMD in both sexes. Conclusion: The investigation showed a generational loss of AMD. People older than 45 years and living in company are more likely to adhere to DM, the risk group being young people living alone and smokers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Articles on Obesity and Weight Loss Treatments)

10 pages, 1487 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Proposal of a Mathematical Model to Monitor Body Mass over Time in Subjects on a Diet

by Jose M. Soriano, Giovanna Sgambetterra and Pietro Marco Boselli

Nutrients 2022, 14(17), 3575; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14173575 - 30 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1453

Abstract

Nowadays, slimming diet methodology works within a reduction of body mass using a decrease of dietary energy intake. However, there is no suitable method for understanding the dynamic process of body mass metabolic transformation over time. In the present paper, we have developed a biomathematic model to explain the temporal trend of body mass and its variations of people who have undergone a change in their diet using the solving equation of the model. Data relating to sex, age, body mass, and BMI were collected, and the compartmental model used to interpret the body mass trends was constructed by assuming that the mass results from the sum of the metabolic processes: catabolic, anabolic, distributive. The validation of the model was carried out by variance analysis both on the total and individual data sets. The results confirm that the trend of body mass and its variations over time depends on metabolic rates. These are specific to each individual and characterize the distribution of nutritional molecules in the various body districts and the processes catabolic, anabolic, distributive. Body mass and its variations are justified by the metabolic transformations of the nutritional quantities. This would explain why energetically equal diets can correspond to people of different body mass and that energy-different diets can correspond to people of body mass at all similar. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Articles on Obesity and Weight Loss Treatments)

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19 pages, 1036 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Interplay between Intestinal Bacterial Communities and Unicellular Parasites in a Morbidly Obese Population: A Neglected Trinomial

by Jana Caudet, María Trelis, Susana Cifre, José M. Soriano, Hortensia Rico and Juan F. Merino-Torres

Nutrients 2022, 14(15), 3211; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14153211 - 5 Aug 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2447

Abstract

Obesity is an epidemic causing a metabolic health crisis. Herein, the interactions between the gut prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities, metabolic comorbidities and diet were studied. Stool samples from 56 subjects, 47 with type III obesity and 9 with type II obesity and cardiovascular risk or metabolic disease, were assessed for the richness, diversity and ecology of the bacterial gut community through metagenomics, together with the study of the presence of common unicellular eukaryote parasites (Blastocystis sp., Dientamoeba fragilis and Giardia intestinalis) by qPCR. Clinical information regarding metabolic comorbidities and non-alcoholic hepatic fatty liver disease was gathered. To assess the quality of the patients’ diet, each participant filled in three dietary questionnaires. The most prevalent parasite Blastocystis sp. (46.4%), together with D. fragilis (8.9%), was found to be associated with higher mean diversity indexes regarding non-colonized subjects; the opposite of that which was observed in those with G. intestinalis (16.1%). In terms of phyla relative abundance, with Blastocystis sp. and D. fragilis, very slight differences were observed; on the contrary, G. intestinalis was related to an increase in Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, and a decrease in Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, presenting the lowest Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. At genus level, Blastocystis sp. and/or D. fragilis was accompanied with an increase in Lactobacillus spp., and a decrease in Akkermansia spp., Bifidobacterium spp. and Escherichia spp., while G. intestinalis was associated with an increase in Bacteroides spp., and a decrease in Faecalibacterium spp., Prevotella spp. and Lactobacillus spp., and the highest Bacteroides spp./Prevotella spp. ratio. Participants with non-alcoholic hepatic fatty liver presented a higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, and those with type 2 diabetes displayed a significantly lower Faecalibacterium spp./Escherichia spp. ratio, due to an overrepresentation of the genus Escherichia spp. The presence of parasites was associated with variations in the richness, diversity and distribution of taxa in bacterial communities, confirming a gain in diversity associated with Blastocystis sp. and providing different functioning of the microbiota with a potential positive effect on comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Future basic and clinical studies should assess the beneficial or pathogenic effect of these eukaryotes on obese subjects and focus on deciphering whether they may imply a healthier metabolic profile. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Articles on Obesity and Weight Loss Treatments)

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Review

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15 pages, 1089 KiB

Open AccessReview

5-HT_2C Receptor Stimulation in Obesity Treatment: Orthosteric Agonists vs. Allosteric Modulators

by Edmund Przegaliński, Kacper Witek, Karolina Wydra, Jolanta H. Kotlińska and Małgorzata Filip

Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1449; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061449 - 17 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2718

Abstract

Obesity is a substantial health and economic issue, and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is an important neurotransmitter system involved in the regulation of body weight. The 5-HT_2C receptors (5-HT_2CRs), one of 16 of the 5-HT receptor (5-HTRs) subtypes, play a significant role in food intake and body weight control. In this review, we focused on the 5-HTR agonists, such as fenfluramines, sibutramine, and lorcaserin, which act directly or indirectly at 5-HT_2CRs and have been introduced into the clinic as antiobesity medications. Due to their unwanted effects, they were withdrawn from the market. The 5-HT_2CR positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) can be potentially safer active drugs than 5-HT_2CR agonists. However, more in vivo validation of PAMs is required to fully determine if these drugs will be effective in obesity prevention and antiobesity pharmacology treatment. Methodology strategy: This review focuses on the role of 5-HT_2CR agonism in obesity treatment, such as food intake regulation and weight gain. The literature was reviewed according to the review topic. We searched the PubMed and Scopus databases and Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute open-access scientific journals using the following keyword search strategy depending on the chapter phrases: (1) “5-HT_2C receptor” AND “food intake”, and (2) “5-HT_2C receptor” AND “obesity” AND “respective agonists”, and (3) “5-HT_2C receptor” AND “PAM”. We included preclinical studies (only present the weight loss effects) and double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials published since the 1975s (mostly related to antiobesity treatment), and excluded the pay-walled articles. After the search process, the authors selected, carefully screened, and reviewed appropriate papers. In total, 136 articles were included in this review. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Articles on Obesity and Weight Loss Treatments)

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17 pages, 699 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Influence of Serious Games in the Promotion of Healthy Diet and Physical Activity Health: A Systematic Review

by Susana Lamas, Sofia Rebelo, Sofia da Costa, Helena Sousa, Nelson Zagalo and Elisabete Pinto

Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1399; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061399 - 14 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2999

Abstract

(1) Background: serious games seem to show promising strategies to promote treatment compliance and motivate behavior changes, and some studies have proven to contribute to the literature on serious games. (2) Methods: this systematic review aimed to analyze the effect of serious games in promoting healthy eating behaviors, effectively preventing childhood obesity, and improving physical activity in children. Five electronic bibliographic databases—PubMed, ACM Digital Library, Games for Health Journal, and IEEE Xplore were used to conduct a systematic literature search based on fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2003 and 2021 were selected for data extraction. (3) Results: a total of 26 studies were identified, representing 17 games. Half of the studies tested interventions for healthy eating and physical education. Most of the intervention’s games were designed according to specific behavioral change theories, predominantly the social cognitive theory. (4) Conclusions: studies confirmed the potential of serious games for obesity prevention but considering the restrictions encountered, we exhort for novel designs with different theoretical perspectives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Articles on Obesity and Weight Loss Treatments)

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Other

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27 pages, 7513 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Differential Gene Expression of Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue among Lean, Obese, and after RYGB (Different Timepoints): Systematic Review and Analysis

by Elena Marisol Cruz-García, María E. Frigolet, Samuel Canizales-Quinteros and Ruth Gutiérrez-Aguilar

Nutrients 2022, 14(22), 4925; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14224925 - 21 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2170

Abstract

The main roles of adipose tissue include triglycerides storage and adipokine secretion, which regulate energy balance and inflammation status. In obesity, adipocyte dysfunction leads to proinflammatory cytokine production and insulin resistance. Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for obesity, the gold-standard technique being Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). Since metabolic improvements after RYGB are clear, a better understanding of adipose tissue molecular modifications could be derived from this study. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to find differentially expressed genes in subcutaneous adipose tissue of lean, obese and post-RYGB (distinct timepoints). To address this objective, publications from 2015–2022 reporting gene expression (candidate genes or transcriptomic approach) of subcutaneous adipose tissue from lean and obese individuals before and after RGYB were searched in PubMed, Elsevier, and Springer Link. Excluded publications were reviews, studies analyzing serum, other types of tissues, or bariatric procedures. A risk-of-bias summary was created for each paper using Robvis, to finally include 17 studies. Differentially expressed genes in post-RYGB vs. obese and lean vs. obese were obtained and the intersection among these groups was used for analysis and gene classification by metabolic pathway. Results showed that the lean state as well as the post-RYGB is similar in terms of increased expression of insulin-sensitizing molecules, inducing lipogenesis over lipolysis and downregulating leukocyte activation, cytokine production and other factors that promote inflammation. Thus, massive weight loss and metabolic improvements after RYGB are accompanied by gene expression modifications reverting the “adipocyte dysfunction” phenomenon observed in obesity conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Articles on Obesity and Weight Loss Treatments)

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