Obesity How does the diet affect a morbid overweight?

Influence of diet on obesity and cardiovascular disease studied
That diet has a significant impact on our body weight is undisputed. "The probability of developing these diseases is directly influenced by the diet," emphasizes Professor Dr. med. Nils Helge Schebb from the University of Wuppertal. However, the individual risk can currently only be adequately recorded and evaluated.

The influence of nutrition on the risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, the scientists of the University of Wuppertal want to investigate in a large-scale study in more detail. The aim of the research program is the determination of new, reliable and early recognizable biological characteristics (so-called biomarkers) for the cardio-metabolic syndrome. Based on these biomarkers, "such a risk can be identified before an obvious disease with irreversible organ damage occurs," emphasizes Professor Schebb.

How diet affects the risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease is still unclear in detail. (Image: tortoon / fotolia.com)

Special messengers in the focus of research
In the planned research project, the scientists of the Bergische Universität Wuppertal, together with colleagues from five other European universities, will examine the question of how the risk of obesity and cardiovascular diseases is influenced by nutrition. The researchers are particularly interested in the concentration of oxylipins in the blood. The oxylipins are oxidative metabolites of unsaturated fatty acids, which regulate a variety of physiological processes in the body as messenger substances, explain the scientists.

Oxylipine as a biomarker?
In diseases such as high blood pressure, this also shows at the level of messenger substances and it is increasingly blood pressure-increasing Oxylipine found, reports the University of Wuppertal. In addition, previous studies have already shown that "the oxylipin pattern can be directly influenced by diet, for example, by omega-3 fatty acids in fish," explains Professor Schebb. First of all, since the oxylipin pattern reflects the cardio-metabolic state and secondly depends on the diet, the oxylipins are ideal biomarkers for the metabolic syndrome and its influence on the diet.

Related to the cardio-metabolic risk
The research project will initially develop an optimized method for the determination of oxylipins in biological samples. In the following, these will be used to analyze blood samples from two independent cohort studies, the researchers report. Thus, oxylipin patterns are to be identified, "which are foreseeable for the development of the metabolic syndrome and / or can be used as a biomarker for the characterization of the disease stage." Using the samples from two nutritional intervention studies ultimately the influence of diet on the cardio-metabolic risk and evaluated the concentrations of newly established biomarkers. The three-year research project is funded by the European Union with 700,000 euros, with 300,000 euros go to Wuppertal. (Fp)