Failures of Feedback: Rush Hour Along the Highway to Obesity

Wayne Gade; Jean Gade; Melissa Collins; Jessica Schmit; Nicole Schupp

doi:10.29074/ascls.23.1.39

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Wayne Gade, PhD, MT(ASCP)⇑
1. Associate Professor, Clinical Lab Science Program, University of Illinois Springfield, Springfield, IL
Jean Gade, MS, BS(RN)
1. Nurse Educator, Lincoln Prairie Behavioral Health, Springfield, IL
Melissa Collins, MLS (ASCP)
1. Medical Lab Scientist, Skokie Hospital, 9600 Gross Point Rd, Skokie, IL
Jessica Schmit
1. Student, Clinical Lab Science Program, University of Illinois Springfield, Springfield, IL
Nicole Schupp, MLS (ASCP)
1. Medical Lab Scientist, Memorial Medical Center, Springfield, IL

Address for Correspondence: Wayne Gade, Clinical Laboratory Science & Chemistry Departments, HSB Rm 314, One University Place, Springfield, IL 62703, wgade1{at}uis.edu, 217-725-6384.

After reading the following article, the reader should be able to:

Define obesity, in terms of body mass index or BMI.
Describe the hormones and functions of the HPA system and non-HPA hormones.
List and describe the three primary ways that the hypothalamus helps regulate body weight.
Describe the molecular types and tissue of origin for leptin, insulin and cortisol.
List and describe four “entrance ramps” to the “highway to obesity.”
Describe how leptin and insulin resistance are related to the development of obesity.
Describe “lipid buffering” and how it relates to ectopic fat deposition.
Describe how the dopamine “pleasure/reward system” is involved with such diverse behaviors as drug and alcohol abuse and overeating.
Discuss the impact of inheritance on an individual's tendency to become obese.
Identify analytes that are typically elevated by the metabolism of obesity versus analytes that are decreased or unchanged.

Abstract

From hot dogs to Hashimoto's and inheritance to inactivity, many “entrance ramps” converge onto the “Highway to Obesity”, each contributing caloric intake that exceeds expenditure. Initially, the hypothalamus regulates appetite and energy based on leptin feedback, until feedback failure increases appetite, and allows deposition of abdominal fat, metabolic dysregulation, and metabolic syndrome. Without feedback controls, progress toward obesity is unimpeded unless diet, exercise, and/or medications provide an exit ramp.