Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage in Obesity-Related Health Outcomes
Summary
Obesity is characterised by chronic energy surplus and adipose tissue expansion, which provoke metabolic perturbations and low-grade inflammation. Excess nutrient intake and adipocyte hypertrophy enhance mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum dysfunction, fuelling overproduction of reactive oxygen species. This oxidative stress inflicts damage on lipid membranes, proteins and genomic DNA, manifesting as strand breaks, base modifications and crosslinks. Impaired DNA repair capacity in obesity further permits accumulation of mutations, promoting cellular senescence, tissue dysfunction and heightened risk of metabolic diseases, cardiovascular disorders and cancer. Interventions that reduce adiposity or bolster antioxidant defences can reverse DNA lesions and restore genomic stability, underlining the interplay of diet, weight loss and molecular repair mechanisms in mitigating obesity-related health outcomes.
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Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage in Obesity-Related Health Outcomes publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in oxidative stress and dna damage in obesity-related health outcomes across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Oxidative stress: A state in which reactive oxygen species generation exceeds antioxidant defences, causing cellular macromolecule damage.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Highly reactive molecules derived from oxygen, capable of modifying DNA, proteins and lipids.
DNA damage response (DDR): A network of signalling and repair pathways that detect DNA lesions and orchestrate cell cycle arrest or repair.
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT): Fat stored around internal organs, strongly linked with metabolic dysfunction and inflammation.
Senescence: A permanent state of cell cycle arrest triggered by stress, contributing to tissue ageing and chronic inflammation.
References
- The dual nature of DNA damage response in obesity and bariatric surgery-induced weight loss. Cell Death & Disease (2024).
- Oxidative Stress Linking Obesity and Cancer: Is Obesity a ‘Radical Trigger’ to Cancer?. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2023).
- Obesity, DNA Damage, and Development of Obesity-Related Diseases. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2019).
- Impact of Weight Loss Strategies on Obesity‐Induced DNA Damage. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (2019).
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