Age-independent changes in older patients with obesity: A text-mining, bioinformatics, and cross-sectional study

To elucidate the unique mechanisms underlying obesity in older adults, focusing particularly on age-independent changes.

This study integrated text mining of academic literature, clinical data analysis from older outpatients, and a bioinformatics examination of publicly available gene expression datasets derived from blood and adipose tissue.

Literature analysis identified "inflammation" as a predominant theme in research on obesity among older adults. However, clinical data comparing matched obese and non-obese older patients revealed no significant differences in common inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein, ferritin, and transferrin saturation. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated a general upregulation of caspase family genes in the blood of obese individuals, indicating potential activation of apoptotic pathways. In contrast, key molecules associated with classical inflammatory signaling pathways, including Rat sarcoma (RAS), Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and NF-κB, exhibited reduced expression levels, despite elevated TNF-α expression.

Our findings suggest that obesity in older adults may be driven by distinct biological mechanisms that extend beyond traditional inflammatory processes. The observed upregulation of caspase-mediated apoptotic pathways in blood, in contrast to the classical NF-κB-associated inflammatory signaling, offers a novel perspective. These insights may inform the development of targeted therapeutic strategies for obesity and related metabolic disorders in the aging population. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2025; 25: 1260-1270.