EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND PREVENTION OF THE OBESITY

Currently, obesity has reached epidemic proportions worldwide, as around 2.8 million people die as a result of obesity and overweight. According to data compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), it has been determined that the rate of obesity has almost tripled in the last 40 years. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. However, all people who suffer from obesity do not present the typical pattern of metabolic complications, which has been called Metabolically Healthy Obesity (MHO), with a prevalence between 10 and 35% depending on the criteria and the population studied. The MHO phenotype can progress towards Metabolically Unhealthy Obesity (MUO). Although there is a percentage of predisposition to obesity that has a genetic component, it is known to be low, so other factors are being analyzed, such as epigenetic modifications. For this reason, the researchers have compared methylation patterns of MHO patients who have remained MHO over time, versus MHO patients who have evolved to the MUO phenotype, and have determined epigenetic biomarkers that can predict the progression from metabolically healthy obese subjects to patients metabolically ill obese and have the potential to prevent metabolic deterioration in patients with MHO.