The Role of Arginine for Treating Obese Youth
Chapter
Overview
Identity
Additional Document Info
Other
View All
Overview
abstract
The long-range impact of obesity is very concerning, leading some to speculate that the current epidemic may result in this generation of children being the first who will fail to outlive their parents. Obesity is a significant risk factor for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, stroke, hypertension, fatty liver disease, and a multitude of additional medical problems that affect nearly every system in the body. Between 1990 and 2000, poor diet and physical inactivity, the cornerstones of obesity, accounted for the second actual cause of death in the United States and contributed to the escalating cost of healthcare worldwide. Unfortunately, many interventions for obesity in children, including lifestyle modification and medical treatment, have been largely ineffective or associated with side effects that limit their use. Thus, identifying new therapeutic interventions to reduce body fat will be extremely beneficial for human health. In animal models, dietary supplementation with L-arginine enhances lipolysis and the expression of key genes responsible for fatty acid oxidation, thereby decreasing body fat. This chapter describes the use of oral L-arginine as a potential therapy to reduce fat mass in obese children. 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
