This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager NURSA Molecule Pages Link Reprints, Permissions and Rights Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Grün, F. Articles by Blumberg, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Grün, F. Articles by Blumberg, B.

Minireview: The Case for Obesogens

Departments of Developmental and Cell Biology (B.B., F.G.) and Pharmaceutical Sciences (B.B.), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697-2300

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to Bruce Blumberg.

Obesity and obesity-related disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, are epidemic in Western countries, particularly the United States. The conventional wisdom holds that obesity is primarily the result of a positive energy balance, i.e. too many calories in and too few calories burned. Although it is self-evident that fat cannot be accumulated without a higher caloric intake than expenditure, recent research in a number of laboratories suggests the existence of chemicals that alter regulation of energy balance to favor weight gain and obesity. These obesogens derail the homeostatic mechanisms important for weight control, such that exposed individuals are predisposed to weight gain, despite normal diet and exercise. This review considers the evidence for obesogens, how they might act, and where future research is needed to clarify their relative contribution to the obesity epidemic.

NURSA Molecule Pages Link:

Nuclear Receptors:   PPARα  |  PPARδ  |  PPARγ  |  ERα  |  GR  |  AR

Ligands:   GW 9662  |  Diethylstilbestrol