Background

The sharp increase in metabolic diseases related to obesity during the last 2 decades has led to the term « civilization diseases ». The prevalence of pathological obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) has doubled and will triple in the next decade. NAFLD is present in 25–30% of the general population and in 75% of patients with obesity or T2D and leads to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Their management is associated with high healthcare costs. They are a priority in public health and deserve a prominent interest in experimental and translational clinical research. It is worth noting the quasi-absence of biomarkers of responsiveness to therapies and the relatively limited success of biologicals and chemical drugs to treat pathological obesity and related diseases. The societal impact of metabolic diseases is major in the Region Grand Est. About a quarter of the population of the Region Grand-Est is affected by obesity, particular in children and adolescents.