Place: 4274 Chamberlin (refreshments will be served)
Speaker: James M. Ntambi, UW Departments of Biochemistry and of Nutritional Sciences
Abstract: Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally as a major public health problem, and in developing countries often coexists with conditions of widespread under-nutrition. In addition to being a contributor to the global burden of non-communicable diseases that include type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, osteoarthritis, fatty liver disease, inflammation, sleep apnea and certain cancers, obese individuals of all ages suffer serious social and psychological consequences. Obesity is a multifactorial condition stemming from a combination of genetic, dietary, and environmental factors and the interaction between these components. This article discusses the relationship between genetics, nutrition, environment and non-communicable diseases as risk factors of obesity and highlights available evidence and arguments for increased research on the genetics of metabolism.