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Metabolites
Special Issues
Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction: Disease Development and Breaking the Cycle
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Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction: Disease Development and Breaking the Cycle

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Endocrinology and Clinical Metabolic Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 8515

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Paulo Cezar de Freitas Mathias

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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Secretion Cell Biology, Department of Biotechnology, Genetics and Cell Biology, State University of Maringá, Maringá 87020-900, Brazil
Interests: rats; obesity; insulin secretion; monosodium glutamate; lactation; islets; protein dystrophy; blood glucose; catecholamines; mice
Dr. Lucas Paulo Jacinto Saavedra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Secretion Cell Biology, Department of Biotechnology, Genetics and Cell Biology, State University of Maringá, Maringá 87020-900, Brazil
Interests: developmental programming of thermogenesis and energy expenditure
Dr. Rodrigo Mello Gomes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biological Sciences, University Federal of Goiás, Goiânia 74690-900, Brazil
Interests: DOHaD; obesity; Type 2 diabetes; metabolic programming

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Obesity is a condition of major concern worldwide which is accompanied with several metabolic dysfunctions. Its prevalence is increasing around the world and the projections are that it will worsen even more in the future. Besides the canonical explanation of diet and physical activity, exposure to different stimuli during development, such as undernutrition, infections, and environmental contaminants, is of major concern to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). Taking into account the knowledge produced for searching for the causes, it is imperative that this knowledge is used for the proposal of innovative approaches to counteract these conditions. In this Special Issue, we aim to focus on novel etiological factors that may play a role in the development of obesity and metabolic dysfunction. But we are also interested in novel interventions that may help to “break this cycle of disease development”.

Prof. Dr. Paulo Cezar de Freitas Mathias
Dr. Lucas Paulo Jacinto Saavedra
Dr. Rodrigo Mello Gomes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 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
  • diabetes
  • DOHaD
  • metabolic programming
  • treatment
  • intervention
  • cardiovascular disease
  • metabolic syndrome

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 732 KiB  
Article
Iron Homeostasis-Related Parameters and Hepcidin/Ferritin Ratio: Emerging Sex-Specific Predictive Markers for Metabolic Syndrome
by Baraah T. Abu AlSel, Abdelrahman A. Mahmoud, Elham O. Hamed, Noor A. Hakim, Abdulmajeed A. A. Sindi, Najlaa M. M. Jawad, Amani M. T. Gusti, Manal S. Fawzy and Noha M. Abd El-Fadeal
Metabolites 2024, 14(9), 473; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14090473 - 28 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1745
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a worldwide public health challenge. Accumulating evidence implicates elevated serum ferritin and disruptions in iron metabolism as potential elements linked to an increased risk of MetS. This study investigates the relationship between iron homeostasis—including hepcidin levels, serum iron concentration, [...] Read more.
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a worldwide public health challenge. Accumulating evidence implicates elevated serum ferritin and disruptions in iron metabolism as potential elements linked to an increased risk of MetS. This study investigates the relationship between iron homeostasis—including hepcidin levels, serum iron concentration, unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC), and the hepcidin/ferritin (H/F) ratio—and MetS. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 209 participants aged 24–70 were categorized into two groups: 103 with MetS and 106 without MetS. All participants underwent medical assessment, including anthropometric measures, indices of glycemic control, lipid profiles, and iron-related parameters. Participants were further stratified by the Homeostasis Model Assessment—Insulin Resistance index into three subgroups: insulin-sensitive (IS) (<1.9), early insulin resistance (EIR) (>1.9 to <2.9), and significant insulin resistance (SIR) (>2.9). Notable increments in serum ferritin and hepcidin were observed in the SIR group relative to the IS and EIR groups, with a significant association between metabolic parameters. The UIBC and serum ferritin emerged as significant predictors of MetS, particularly in men, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.753 and 0.792, respectively (p ≤ 0.001). In contrast, hepcidin was notably correlated with MetS in women, with an AUC of 0.655 (p = 0.007). The H/F ratio showed superior predictive capability for MetS across both sexes (at cutoff level = 0.67). Among women, this ratio had an AUC of 0.639 (p = 0.015), and for men, it had an AUC of 0.792 (p < 0.001). Hypertension proved an independent risk factor for MetS, affirming its role in metabolic dysregulation. The findings highlight a significant interconnection between iron homeostasis parameters and MetS, with sex-specific variations underscoring the importance of personalized diagnostic criteria. The crucial role of the H/F ratio and the UIBC as emerging predictive markers for MetS indicates their potential utility in identifying at-risk individuals. Further longitudinal research is essential to establish causality and explore the interplay between these biomarkers and MetS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction: Disease Development and Breaking the Cycle)
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10 pages, 695 KiB  
Article
Obesity in Pregnancy as a Risk Factor in Maternal and Child Health—A Retrospective Cohort Study
by Miriam Orós, Marta Lorenzo, María Catalina Serna, Júlia Siscart, Daniel Perejón and Blanca Salinas-Roca
Metabolites 2024, 14(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14010056 - 15 Jan 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2618
Abstract
The prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen dramatically in the last few years. This has led to an increase in both conditions in pregnant women. Obesity and overweight are associated with complications for both the mother and the newborn. The aim of [...] Read more.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen dramatically in the last few years. This has led to an increase in both conditions in pregnant women. Obesity and overweight are associated with complications for both the mother and the newborn. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of obesity and its association with the risk of complications during pregnancy. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of pregnant women who delivered from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2018. Results: A higher prevalence of obesity is observed in the group of women aged 35 or older. Women with a BMI > 25 present a higher risk of cesarean section (aOR 1.49, 95% CI: 1.37–1.61), preeclampsia (aOR 1.64, 95% CI: 1.19–2.26), high-risk pregnancy (aOR 2.34, 95% CI: 1.68–2.6), Apgar < 7 at one minute (aOR 1.53, 95% CI: 1.25–1.89) and macrosomia (aOR 2.08, 95% CI: 1.83–2.37). Maternal overweight and obesity are important determinants of the risk of complications for both the mother and the newborn. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction: Disease Development and Breaking the Cycle)
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11 pages, 453 KiB  
Article
Overweight or Obesity Rate and Risk Factors in First-Episode and Drug-Naïve Patients with Major Depressive Disorder with Comorbid Abnormal Lipid Metabolism: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Study
by Xiao Huang, Yuan Sun and Xiangyang Zhang
Metabolites 2024, 14(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo14010026 - 30 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2097
Abstract
Overweight and obesity are frequent symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and abnormal lipid metabolism (ALM). There are no studies on the rate, risk factors, and underlying mechanisms of overweight/obesity in Chinese patients with MDD with comorbid ALM. The purpose of [...] Read more.
Overweight and obesity are frequent symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and abnormal lipid metabolism (ALM). There are no studies on the rate, risk factors, and underlying mechanisms of overweight/obesity in Chinese patients with MDD with comorbid ALM. The purpose of this study was to examine the rate of overweight/obesity and the associated risk factors among Chinese patients with MDD first-episode and drug-naïve (FEDN) with comorbid ALM. This study was a cross-sectional research work. A total of 1718 patients were enrolled. Their clinical and laboratory data were obtained. All participants were assessed with the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) positive subscale. The plasma total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triacylglycerols (TG), blood glucose concentrations, thyroid peroxidase antibody (A-TPO), thyoglubulin antibody (A-TG), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyoxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3), and blood glucose concentrations were measured. ALM was identified as elevations in the plasma lipid values in this study. Of all the included subjects, the rate of ALM was 81.1%. The rate of obesity and overweight was 3.94% and 57.21%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that TSH was the independent risk factor for overweight or obesity in MDD patients (adjusted OR = 1.158, 95%CI = 1.081–1.24, p < 0.001). The risk of developing overweight or obesity in MDD with ALM with comorbid TSH abnormalities was 2.176 times higher than those without TSH abnormalities (p < 0.001). Further linear regression showed TSH level (B = 0.1, t = 3.376, p = 0.001) and systolic blood pressure (B = 0.015, t = 2.351, p = 0.019) were risk factors for a higher body mass index (BMI). Our results demonstrate that being overweight is very frequent among patients with FEDN MDD with comorbid ALM but not obesity. TSH was the risk factor for overweight and obesity in MDD patients with comorbid ALM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction: Disease Development and Breaking the Cycle)
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Review

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18 pages, 278 KiB  
Review
Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in the Korean General Population: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Non-Invasive Screening
by Yong Jun Choi, Jooheon Park, Han-Ik Cho, Myung Geun Shin and Eun-Hee Nah
Metabolites 2025, 15(5), 299; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15050299 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 867
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) represents a contemporary classification of liver disease linked to metabolic dysfunction. It is recognized as the main form of chronic liver disease and significantly contributes to liver-related morbidity and mortality rates. The epidemiology of MASLD [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) represents a contemporary classification of liver disease linked to metabolic dysfunction. It is recognized as the main form of chronic liver disease and significantly contributes to liver-related morbidity and mortality rates. The epidemiology of MASLD is affected by ethnic background, sex, age, and environmental factors. South Korea is one of the countries that has experienced rapid urbanization. Geographical differences also play a crucial role in the prevalence and progression of the disease. Consequently, it is essential to investigate the prevalence of MASLD; its associated risk factors, particularly in relation to liver fibrosis; and the effectiveness of non-invasive screening techniques within the Korean population. Methods: This review describes the prevalence of MASLD, the risk factors related to MASLD with liver fibrosis, and the non-invasive screening approaches suitable for the Korean general population. Results: This review underscores the rising incidence and implications of MASLD in South Korea. Notably, among younger demographics, there is a swift increase in both the prevalence of MASLD and its associated risk factors, indicating that MASLD is poised to become a significant public health concern. Non-invasive testing methods are increasingly utilized within at-risk groups to determine the presence of advanced fibrosis. Conclusions: Addressing these complex liver diseases necessitates not only ongoing monitoring of MASLD epidemiological patterns but also a unified approach to care that integrates medical interventions with lifestyle changes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction: Disease Development and Breaking the Cycle)
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