Obesity: etiologic and pathophysiological analysis.

Obesity has become a serious health problem worldwide because it is closely related to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and dyslipidemia. It is therefore imperative for the scientific community to understand the main environmental and social-cultural factors, as well as organic disorders arising from breakdown of the physiological mechanisms that control energy balance in our body, all of which are ultimately responsible for development of obesity. Adequate understanding of the mechanisms involved in regulation of energy balance is therefore essential to understand the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the growing pandemic of obesity. This study was intended to review the main factors involved in development of obesity and advances in understanding of the mechanisms that regulate body weight and appetite and their pathophysiology.