Importance of portal circulation: With obesity, there is increased release of FFA and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), from adipose tissue. [Note: Cytokines are small proteins that regulate the immune system.] One hypothesis for why abdominal adipose depots have such a large influence on metabolic dysfunction in obesity is that the FFA and cytokines released from these depots enter the portal vein and, therefore, have direct access to the liver. In the liver, they may lead to insulin resistance (see p. 343) and increased hepatic synthesis of TAG, which are released as components of very-low-density lipoprotein particles and contribute to the hypertriacylglycerolemia associated with obesity. By contrast, FFA from lower body subq adipose depots enter the general circulation, where they can be oxidized in muscle and, therefore, reach the liver in lower concentration.
D. Adipocyte size and number
As TAG are stored, adipocytes can expand to an average of two to three times their normal volume (Fig. 26.3). However, the ability of fat cells to expand is limited. With prolonged overnutrition, preadipocytes within adipose tissue are stimulated to proliferate and differentiate into mature fat cells, increasing the number of adipocytes. Thus, most obesity is due to a combination of increased fat cell size (hypertrophy) and number (hyperplasia). Obese individuals can have up to five times the normal number of adipocytes. [Note: Like other tissues, the adipose tissue undergoes continuous remodeling. Contrary to early dogma, we now know that adipocytes can die. The estimated average lifespan of an adipocyte is 10 years.] If excess calories cannot be accommodated within adipose tissue, the excess FA “spill over” into other tissues, such as muscle and the liver. The amount of this ectopic fat is strongly associated with insulin resistance. With weight loss in an obese individual, the size of the fat cells is reduced, but the number is not usually affected. Thus, a normal amount of body fat is achieved by decreasing the size of the fat cell below normal. However, small fat cells are very efficient at reaccumulating fat, and this may drive appetite and weight regain.
III. BODY WEIGHT REGULATION
The body weight of most individuals tends to be relatively stable over time. This observation prompted the hypothesis that each individual has a biologically predetermined “set point” for body weight. The body attempts to add to adipose stores when the body weight falls below the set point and to lose adipose from stores when the body weight rises above the set point. Thus, the body defends the set point. For example, with weight loss, appetite increases and energy expenditure falls, whereas with overfeeding, appetite falls and energy expenditure may slightly increase (Fig. 26.4). However, a strict set point model explains neither why some individuals fail to revert to their starting weight after a period of overeating nor the current epidemic of obesity.
A. Genetic contributions
It is now evident that genetic mechanisms play a major role in determining body weight.
1.
Biologic origin: The importance of genetics as a determinant of obesity is indicated by the observation that children who are adopted usually show a body weight that correlates with their biologic rather than adoptive parents. Furthermore, identical twins have very similar BMI (Fig. 26.5), whether reared together or apart, and their BMI are more similar than those of nonidentical, dizygotic twins.
2.