The omics of obsesity

Obesity is a complex multi‐faceted disease affecting billions of people worldwide. Traditionally, obesity was thought to be a consequence of having access to energy dense food and busy lifestyles that do not factor in sufficient physical activity. Although diet and exercise play a major role in obesity development, these are not the only contributors. It is widely accepted that genetic and epigenetic factors also play a major role in obesity development and these in turn affect the lipidome, metabolome and proteome. With new technological advances, it is now possible to delve into these specific areas to further understand the mechanisms involved in obesity development. These technologies are collectively termed “omics” technologies, and this chapter will summarise the recent advances in obesity and metabolism research and describe new technologies that have been used to identify mechanisms that play a major role in the development of obesity. In particular, we will examine the different omics platforms that are available and have been used to study obesity. Collectively, these studies will be fundamental in identifying new and effective treatment strategies.