An overview about DNA methylation in childhood obesity: Characteristics of the studies and main findings

Childhood obesity is a global burden affecting millions of children worldwide. It is well‐known that the adiposity profile in children is critical for future occurrence of diseases. As a multifactorial disease, obesity is associated with genetic and environmental factors. Epigenetic mechanisms link the plethora of environmental clues to a given phenotype. DNA methylation is the most studied epigenetic mark and its importance in several diseases was acknowledged. In childhood obesity, specifically, the studies show a consistent association between adiposity and methylation at the gene and genome‐wide scales. The relationship between DNA methylation and childhood obesity has been proved strong for some genes and pathways. However, the studies are heterogeneous in their design, methodologies, and results. The aim of this review is to discuss this heterogeneity and point out some aspects that should be considered in future studies to clarify the role of DNA methylation in childhood obesity. Obesity is a condition characterized by excessive body weight in relation to height, where the extra weight is due to increased adiposity. As a multifactorial disease, the gene‐environment interaction has been suggested as an important factor in the development of obesity.This review will explore the main findings and characteristics of epigenetic studies involving DNA methylation in childhood obesity.