Obesity-related digestive diseases and their pathophysiology

Abstract

Obesity is a growing medical and public health problem worldwide. Many digestive diseases are related to obesity. In this article, the current state of our knowledge of obesityrelated digestive diseases, their pathogenesis, and the medical and metabolic consequences of weight reduction are discussed. Obesity-related digestive diseases include gastroesophageal reflux disease, Barrett's esophagus, esophageal cancer, colon polyp and cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, hepatitis C-related disease, hepatocellular carcinoma, gallstone, cholangiocarcinoma, and pancreatic cancer. Although obesity-related esophageal diseases are associated with altered mechanical and humoral factors, other obesityrelated digestive diseases seem to be associated with obesity-induced altered circulating levels of adipocytokines and insulin resistance. The relationship between functional gastrointestinal disease and obesity has been debated. This review provides a comprehensive evaluation of the obesityrelated digestive diseases, including pathophysiology, obesityrelated risk, and medical and metabolic effects of weight reduction in obese subjects.