"Risk factors for obesity and emotional disorders", por Marina Romaní Pérez

Seminarios
Viernes, 12 Mayo, 2017

Fecha: 12 de Mayo de 2017, 09:30 h
Lugar: Salón de Actos del IATA
Ponente:Marina Romaní Pérez

The high prevalence of obesity and emotional disorders (anxiety and depression) places them as the main challenge of the 21st century in public health of westernized societies. Both pathological conditions not only significantly impair the quality of life in the population but also imply a huge public spending. In order to explore potential intervention strategies able to mitigate these disabilities and their related complications, scientific community is making a huge effort to investigate their etiological causes. In line with the Barker hypothesis early life exposure to high energy dense food or stress can result in permanent metabolic changes which increase the risk to develop obesity in adulthood. Despite these factors are frequently associated, the contribution of their combination on the etiology of obesity remains completely unexplored. On the other hand, the high co-occurrence of anxiety and/or depression with type 2 diabetes (T2D) suggests that this pathological condition may underlying the etiology of mood disorders. In the majority of the studies the precise contribution of T2D on anxiety and/or depression is not completely addressed since T2D is frequently associated with obesity which also increases the risk to develop mood disorders. In this regard the full clinical context is not adequately reflected since T2D is not always associated with obesity. Here, I will discuss some preclinical data in animal models regarding the risk factors for obesity or emotional disorders. Firstly, I will present the influence of the combined effect of early life exposure to energy dense food and stress on the onset of obesity and secondly, I will show some evidence demonstrating the link between non-obese T2D and anxiety as well as some potential mechanisms underlying this relationship.

La Dra. Marina Romaní trabaja en Laboratorio de Ecología Microbiana, Nutrición y Salud del IATA como investigadora Postdoctoral.