The Gastrointestinal System and Obesity

The gastrointestinal (GI) system plays a key role in obesity. Obesity is a complex disease in which the excess of adiposity results in increased health risks and disease. The excess of the adiposity is the outcome of a loss of energy balance between food (energy) intake and energy expenditure. Energy intake is mainly regulated by the brain-gut axis. The GI system and its pathophysiology are key players in the regulation of food intake and subsequent progression to obesity. Thus, the GI tract has become the main target for obesity interventions. It is not clear if the GI role in obesity is cause or effect of this disease, and arguments can be made toward both ends. Thus, obesity could be considered a disease of the GI tract, and/or concurrently, obesity is a disease that affects the GI morbidity.