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Treier Lab
Genetics of Metabolic and Reproductive Disorders
Obesity
The health problem of the 21st century
The incidence of obesity increases dramatically.
- 1.5 billion people over 20 years worldwide are overweight
- 500 million thereof are obese (1 in 10 in total)
- 50 million children under the age of 5 are overweight
- 35 million of them living in developing countries
Therefore obesity is not only a problem of industrialized societies. Worldwide more people die from obesity-related complications than of hunger. Obesity is predominantly a “social and environmental disease” that can be prevented. Recent years have seen a improved understanding of the physiological mechanisms regulating energy homeostasis. However, many questions still remain unanswered.