ABSTRACT
As the prevalence of obesity continues to increase in the United States, its role as a major public health issue grows. The effects of decreased physical activity and increased intake of calorie-dense foods have propelled the issue of obesity and its detrimental sequelae to the forefront of scientific thought. These detrimental effects are now manifested in younger and younger populations. The relationship between obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a complex one. It is mediated by a number of different factors including hypertension, diabetes, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, among others. Obesity in young men is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis (1). The progression from overweight to obesity to insulin resistance to glucose intolerance to type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia is often a slow one. The role of the atherogenic dyslipidemic pattern [hypertriglyceridemia, low highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and high low-density lipoprotein
(LDL-C) metabolism] has been well described. The role of weight loss and its beneficial impact on this dyslipidemic pattern make it a potent clinical target to reduce risk of CVD. Normal lipoprotein metabolism will be reviewed briefly followed by a review of the dyslipidemia of obesity.
