Obesity: A Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation and its Systemic Bio-Markers

Abstract

As the prevalence of obesity continues to rise, the world is facing a major public health concern. Obesity is a complex disease associated with an increase in several inflammatory markers, leading to chronic low-grade inflammation. There remains much unknown regarding the association between obesity and inflammation. This review seeks to compile scientific literature on obesity and its associated inflammatory markers in chronic disease and further discusses the role of adipose tissue, macrophages, fatty acids, amino acids, adipokines, and hormones in obesity. Data were obtained using PubMed and Google Scholar. Obesity, inflammation, immune cells, hormones, and others were search words used to acquire relevant articles. Researchers also found the adipose tissue of lean individuals predominantly secretes anti- inflammatory markers, while in obese individuals more pro-inflammatory markers are secreted. Many studies found that adipose tissue in obese individuals showed a shift in immune cells from anti- inflammatory M2 macrophages to pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages, which was also correlated with insulin resistance. Obese individuals generally present with higher levels of hormones such as leptin, visfatin, and resistin. With obesity on the rise globally, it is predicted that severe obesity will become most common amongst low-income adults, black individuals, and women by 2030, making the need for intervention urgent.