The research center in Nutrition participates in the Annual Symposium of CIBEROBN
PHOTO: Manuel Castells
Dr. María Jesús Moreno Aliaga, director of the line of research "Nutrition and Molecular Metabolism" of the research center in Nutrition (CIN), participated on November 20 and 21 in the Annual Symposium of the research center Biomedica en network-Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN). He gave the lecture "Metabolic effects of lipid mediators derived from omega-3 fatty acids in adipose tissues and insulin sensitivity in obesity". The symposium was also attended by Dr. Alfredo Martínez, Dr. Fermín Milagro and Dr. Santiago Navas.
Moreno Aliaga explained in his presentation how obesity is associated with the development of metabolic diseases, including insulin resistance, diabetes subject 2, fatty liver, cardiovascular complications and even certain types of cancer. "Obesity leads to a decrease in life expectancy by promoting various cellular processes that lead to aging. Both aging and obesity have been associated with a chronic inflammatory state of low Degree, which could facilitate the development of insulin resistance and other associated metabolic alterations," he explained. In fact, inflammation associated with aging(inflammaging) has been considered a risk factor for most age-related diseases.
Several investigations have shown that the resolution of inflammation is an active process involving the production of pro-resolving lipid mediators of inflammation, such as lipoxins, resolvins, protectins and maresins. "It has been suggested that chronic obesity-associated inflammation may be result from insufficient production of these pro-resolving lipid mediators in metabolic tissues core topic, especially in adipose tissue and the liver," he added.
"On the other hand, numerous preclinical and even clinical programs of study have suggested beneficial effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA, on the development and function of adipose tissue and in the prevention/treatment of chronic inflammation associated with obesity. In part, these actions of omega-3s are due to the fact that they are precursors of some of these pro-resolving lipid mediators of inflammation, which have a much more potent anti-inflammatory effect than the fatty acids from which they are derived."
María Jesús Moreno Aliaga concluded that, for this reason, these specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators could help to reduce adipose tissue inflammation, and thus contribute to the beneficial actions of omega-3 fatty acids in obesity and its associated metabolic complications. In this context, programs of study from various groups at research have demonstrated the ability of some of these pro-resolving omega-3 derivatives such as RvD1, RvD2 and PDX to counteract obesity-related inflammation and insulin resistance in animal models of obesity.