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Petroleum Industry-Derived Obesogens in Nigeria’s Niger Delta Region: Mechanistic Insights, Clinical Impacts, and Public Health Implications

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The Niger Delta region of Nigeria represents one of the most ecologically degraded industrialized zones globally, characterized by over six decades of intensive crude oil extraction, gas flaring, and systemic oil spills. While the conventional paradigm of environmental toxicity in this region focuses heavily on onco-genesis, mutagenicity, and respiratory pathologies, an emerging frontier in environmental medicine im-plicates local pollutants as potent “obesogens.” These environmental obesogens are xenobiotic compounds that disrupt lipid metabolism, adipogenesis, and metabolic homeostasis, thereby promoting obesity and metabolic syndrome independent of caloric intake or physical exertion. This review article comprehensively elucidates the molecular, cellular, and systemic patho-mechanisms by which petroleum and natural gas industry contaminants—specifically Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), and heavy metals—induce obesogenic states within the resident population of the Niger Delta. We dissect the specific disruptions of nuclear re-ceptor signaling, including Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor gamma and Retinoid X Receptor, the induction of chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, epigenetic modifications, and the profound alteration of the gut microbiome. Furthermore, this paper analyzes the specific exposure pathways unique to the Niger Delta, such as the consumption of hydrocarbon-contaminated seafood, artisanal refining ac-tivities, and the inhalation of gas flaring particulate matter. By mapping these molecular cascades, this review provides a strong mechanistic link between oil-industrial ecotoxicity and the rising burden of noncommunicable metabolic diseases in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, providing a critical framework for environmental health policy and targeted therapeutic interventions.

Source: Journal of Applied Health Sciences and Medicine

DOI: 10.58614/jahsm698

Authors: Collins Amadi, Ihundah Nmehielle-Oluwadare, Roy Chidi Amadi, Sasha Chidera Amadi, Elena Chile Amadi, Comfort John

Institutions: Rivers State University, Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Rumuola, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education

Language: English

Topic: Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals

Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

OpenAlex ID: W7214767279