Obesity: A Problem Greater Than Just High Blood Pressure

Obesity remains an epidemic in the US as well as worldwide. Little has been studied and understood about the epigenetic basis of obesity in adolescents. There has been found an association between the level of DNA methylation in obesity-related genes and BMI percentile. In the last decade, a novel mechanism of epigenetic regulation of gene expression has been studied. Although there is increased awareness of lifestyle and environmental factors associated with obesity, there remain major gaps that exist in understanding the contribution of epigenetics.