Why do we need to further the study on adipose tissue? Because it lays the foundation for research into an unprecedented dilemma we are facing right now: For the first time in the history of human kind, the number of people affected by overnutrition now exceeds the number of those suffering from malnutrition. The obesity pandemic represents a major burden to public health and to the socio-economic system globally. Given the current data provided by the World Health Organization, the prevalence of overweight among adults worldwide is 39% for both sexes, and 18% among children and adolescents. In the EU according to eurostat, at 51.6%, the majority of people over 18 years of age are overweight. These numbers indicate that overall preventive and therapeutic measures have failed. One reason might be the lack of understanding of adipose tissue biology, which is implicated in fundamental physiological processes and in pathophysiological developments.
The problem is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the systemic aspects of adipose tissue and the consequences of its deterioration during obesity for our society as a whole. The environment and our social behaviour shape our dietary habits, sleeping and activity patterns, and stress exposure. Such factors serve as “input” cues to our physiology in general and to adipose tissue as a metabolic hub of our body in particular. The tissue generates “output”, because it serves as an endocrine organ secreting different hormones, and it forms a niche populated by immune cells.
Therefore, the overall objectives of InterFat were I) systematically characterize populations of murine adipocytes and adipose tissue immune cells at the steady state and during obesity and II) profile the impact of the intestinal microbiome on adipose tissue composition and function. The microbiome is an important sensor of “input” cues as it is strongly depending on environmental factors such as nutrition and life style.
