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Metabolites
Special Issues
Obesity and Metabolic Health
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Obesity and Metabolic Health

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2025 | Viewed by 4010

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Natalia Ferreira Mendes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Translational Medicine (Section of Pharmacology), School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
Interests: neuroinflammation; neuroimmunology, glial cells, obesity, metabolism, fetal metabolic programming; gut microbiota; liver-brain axis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Eliana Pereira De Araújo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Nursing, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
Interests: obesity; metabolism; diabetes; wound healing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Obesity and overweight are major global public health challenges with complex origins. Their profound impact on metabolic health, including an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, arises from dysregulated metabolic processes like insulin resistance and inflammation. Adipose tissue, acting as an endocrine organ, secretes molecules that influence systemic metabolic homeostasis. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies against obesity-related complications.

The central nervous system (CNS) plays a critical role in the development of obesity by regulating appetite, energy expenditure, and metabolic balance. Brain regions such as the hypothalamus and brainstem control feeding behavior, responding to hunger and satiety signals. The dysregulation of these pathways, influenced by genetics and environment, can increase food intake. Additionally, the CNS integrates signals from peripheral organs, contributing to metabolic dysfunction. Understanding these intricate brain–body interactions is vital for addressing obesity effectively.

This Special Issue aims to compile the most recent and cutting-edge data on the molecular and cellular adaptations that contribute to obesity and its metabolic consequences. We particularly welcome submissions that shed light on novel therapeutic targets or interventions with the potential to improve metabolic health.

We welcome the submission of original research articles and reviews focusing on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Neuro-immune metabolism;
  • CNS-peripheral organ communication;
  • Adipose tissue inflammation;
  • Gut microbiota and obesity;
  • Epigenetic regulation in obesity;
  • Neuroendocrine control of metabolism;
  • Pharmacological interventions for obesity;
  • Protective effects of bioactive compounds and dietary components.

Dr. Natalia Ferreira Mendes
Dr. Eliana Pereira De Araújo
Guest Editors

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. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 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

  • glial cells
  • blood–brain barrier
  • gut microbiota
  • immune surveillance
  • glucose metabolism
  • energy me-tabolism
  • food intake
  • brown adipose tissue
  • leptin
  • insulin resistance
  • bioactive compounds
  • epige-netics

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2154 KiB  
Article
Circulating Amino Acid Changes Three Years After Bariatric Surgery
by Ina Maltais-Payette, Fannie Lajeunesse-Trempe, Mélanie Nadeau, Léonie Bouvet-Bouchard, Frédéric Simon Hould, Laurent Biertho and André Tchernof
Metabolites 2025, 15(5), 297; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15050297 - 30 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Background and objective: Studies using metabolomics to study bariatric surgery have shown that amino acids are one of the most changed groups of metabolites after the intervention. However, the surgery-related variation in individual amino acids, as well as the long-term impact and the [...] Read more.
Background and objective: Studies using metabolomics to study bariatric surgery have shown that amino acids are one of the most changed groups of metabolites after the intervention. However, the surgery-related variation in individual amino acids, as well as the long-term impact and the differences between the types of surgeries, have been poorly studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in circulating amino acids after three types of bariatric surgery up to 36 months after the intervention. Methods: We studied 63 participants diagnosed with T2D at baseline, who received either a sleeve gastrectomy, a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or a biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch. We measured the concentrations of 16 circulating amino acids in fasting plasma before the surgery as well as after 4, 12, 24 and 36 months via liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Results: Eleven circulating amino acids were significantly modified by bariatric surgery. Glutamate, leucine and isoleucine showed the greatest decrease. Most of the changes in circulating amino acids occurred within 1 year of the operations. Only one measured plasmatic amino acid (threonine) had a significantly different change pattern according to surgery types. In repeated-measure correlations, changes in circulating amino acids were significantly associated with changes in adiposity and metabolic markers. Conclusions: Bariatric surgery changes the levels of most circulating amino acids, and the effect occurs in the short term without major differences between surgery types. The mechanisms explaining these changes are not elucidated but likely include modifications in amino acid metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Metabolic Health)
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Review

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24 pages, 602 KiB  
Review
Optimised Skeletal Muscle Mass as a Key Strategy for Obesity Management
by Thomas M. Barber, Stefan Kabisch, Andreas F. H. Pfeiffer and Martin O. Weickert
Metabolites 2025, 15(2), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15020085 - 1 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1425
Abstract
The ‘Body Mass Index’ (BMI) is an anachronistic and outdated ratio that is used as an internationally accepted diagnostic criterion for obesity, and to prioritise, stratify, and outcome-assess its management options. On an individual level, the BMI has the potential to mislead, including [...] Read more.
The ‘Body Mass Index’ (BMI) is an anachronistic and outdated ratio that is used as an internationally accepted diagnostic criterion for obesity, and to prioritise, stratify, and outcome-assess its management options. On an individual level, the BMI has the potential to mislead, including inaccuracies in cardiovascular risk assessment. Furthermore, the BMI places excessive emphasis on a reduction in overall body weight (rather than optimised body composition) and contributes towards a misunderstanding of the quiddity of obesity and a dispassionate societal perspective and response to the global obesity problem. The overall objective of this review is to provide an overview of obesity that transitions away from the BMI and towards a novel vista: viewing obesity from the perspective of the skeletal muscle (SM). We resurrect the SM as a tissue hidden in plain sight and provide an overview of the key role that the SM plays in influencing metabolic health and efficiency. We discuss the complex interlinks between the SM and the adipose tissue (AT) through key myokines and adipokines, and argue that rather than two separate tissues, the SM and AT should be considered as a single entity: the ‘Adipo–Muscle Axis’. We discuss the vicious circle of sarcopenic obesity, in which aging- and obesity-related decline in SM mass contributes to a worsened metabolic status and insulin resistance, which in turn further compounds SM mass and function. We provide an overview of the approaches that can mitigate against the decline in SM mass in the context of negative energy balance, including the optimisation of dietary protein intake and resistance physical exercises, and of novel molecules in development that target the SM, which will play an important role in the future management of obesity. Finally, we argue that the Adipo–Muscle Ratio (AMR) would provide a more clinically meaningful descriptor and definition of obesity than the BMI and would help to shift our focus regarding its effective management away from merely inducing weight loss and towards optimising the AMR with proper attention to the maintenance and augmentation of SM mass and function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Metabolic Health)
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16 pages, 870 KiB  
Review
The Use of SGLT-2 Inhibitors and GLP-1RA in Frail Older People with Diabetes: A Personalised Approach Is Required
by Alan J. Sinclair and Ahmed H. Abdelhafiz
Metabolites 2025, 15(1), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo15010049 - 14 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1663
Abstract
Background: Frailty is an increasingly recognised complication of diabetes in older people and should be taken into consideration in management plans, including the use of the new therapies of sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA). The frailty [...] Read more.
Background: Frailty is an increasingly recognised complication of diabetes in older people and should be taken into consideration in management plans, including the use of the new therapies of sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA). The frailty syndrome appears to span across a spectrum, from a sarcopenic obese phenotype at one end, characterised by obesity, insulin resistance, and prevalent cardiovascular risk factors, to an anorexic malnourished phenotype at the other end, characterised by significant weight loss, reduced insulin resistance, and less prevalent cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, the use of the new therapies may not be suitable for every frail older individual with diabetes. Objectives: To review the characteristics and phenotype of frail older people with diabetes who should benefit from the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors or GLP-1RA. Methods: A narrative review of the studies investigating the benefits of SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1RA in frail older people with diabetes. Results: The current evidence is indirect, and the literature suggests that the new therapies are effective in frail older people with diabetes and the benefit appears to be proportional with the severity of frailty. However, frail patients described in the literature who benefited from such therapy appeared to be either overweight or obese, and to have a higher prevalence of unfavourable metabolism and cardiovascular risk factors such as dyslipidaemia, gout, and hypertension compared to non-frail subjects. They also have a higher prevalence of established cardiovascular disease compared with non-frail individuals. In absolute terms, their higher cardiovascular baseline risk meant that they benefited the most from such therapy. The characteristics of this group of frail patients fulfil the criteria of the sarcopenic obese frailty phenotype, which is likely to benefit most from the new therapies due to the unfavourable metabolic profile of this phenotype. There is no current evidence to suggest the benefit of the new therapies in the anorexic malnourished phenotype, which is underrepresented or totally excluded from these studies, such as in patients living in care homes. This phenotype is likely to be intolerant to such therapy due to its associated risk of inducing further weight loss, dehydration, and hypotension. Conclusions: Clinicians should consider the early use of the new therapies in frail older people with diabetes who are either of normal weight, overweight, or obese with prevalent cardiovascular risk factors, and avoid their use in those frail subjects who ae underweight, anorexic, and malnourished. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Obesity and Metabolic Health)
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