obesity
Definition
Obesity is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by excessive accumulation of adipose tissue, typically defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m². It results from dysregulation of energy homeostasis involving genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors. Obesity is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, insulin resistance, and altered secretion of adipokines (hormones from fat tissue). It significantly increases risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and metabolic syndrome. The condition involves intricate interactions between hypothalamic circuits regulating appetite, peripheral metabolic organs, gut microbiota, and immune system components, making it a critical area for systems biology research and therapeutic intervention.
Visualize obesity in Nodes Bio
Researchers can use Nodes Bio to map multi-scale obesity networks, connecting genetic variants (FTO, MC4R) to metabolic pathways, inflammatory cascades, and clinical phenotypes. Visualize interactions between adipokines (leptin, adiponectin), insulin signaling networks, and inflammatory cytokines. Analyze how gut microbiome metabolites influence host metabolism through network-based approaches, identifying novel therapeutic targets and understanding comorbidity patterns.
Visualization Ideas:
- Leptin-insulin signaling crosstalk network showing hypothalamic appetite regulation
- Adipokine-cytokine interaction network illustrating obesity-induced inflammation
- Gene-environment interaction network connecting obesity susceptibility loci to dietary and lifestyle factors
- Multi-organ metabolic communication network showing adipose-liver-muscle-brain interactions
- Gut microbiome-host metabolism network revealing microbial metabolite effects on energy homeostasis
Example Use Case
A pharmaceutical team investigating anti-obesity therapeutics uses network analysis to understand why GLP-1 receptor agonists effectively promote weight loss. They construct an integrated network connecting GLP-1 signaling pathways to appetite regulation centers, insulin secretion, gastric emptying, and downstream metabolic effects. By overlaying gene expression data from patient adipose tissue biopsies, they identify unexpected connections between GLP-1 signaling and inflammatory pathways, revealing potential combination therapy targets that address both weight loss and obesity-related inflammation simultaneously.