doi: 10.23137/AOM24.03.RA0006 Citation BibTeX RIS Mendeley

The Effect of Particulate Matter on Obesity

미세먼지가 비만에 미치는 영향

• Hye Jun Lee (Department of Family Medicine, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea)
• Soo Hyun Cho (Department of Family Medicine, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea)

With accelerated global urbanization, the impact of pollutant emissions and air pollution on obesity is important. Particulate matter (PM) is a major component of air pollution-inducing substances. Recent studies have reported that PM affects obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders. The main mechanisms proposed to underlie PM effect on obesity include chronic inflammation in the hypothalamus, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and mitochondria, and oxidative stress in the white adipose tissue, lungs, and thyroid, activation of lipogenesis genes, changes in adipose tissue distribution, dysbiosis of intestinal microbiome, and dysfunction of circadian rhythm. Therefore, alleviation of air pollution including reduction of PM concentration, is a potential strategy for treating obesity and preventing obesity-related complications. Further prospective longitudinal study on human participants is needed to clearly investigate the effects of PM on the risk of obesity and related mechanisms.