ABSTRACT
The escalating prevalence of obesity is thought to be multifactorial, involving behavioral, genetic, and environmental factors. Obesity is associated with insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, and is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Adipose tissue is no longer considered an inert accumulation of fat, but rather a dynamic endocrine organ in which adipocytes generate and secrete many hormones and cytokines. These inflammatory cytokines, known as adipokines, play an important role in insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome and may mediate the effect of obesity in CVD. Identification and research involving these adipokines has elucidated pathways linking obesity with insulin resistance and CVD. Current treatments of obesity involve lifestyle modifications, such as modifications in diet and exercising, medications that either suppress appetite/increase satiety or decrease nutrient absorption, and surgical intervention for appropriately selected patients. To understand and treat obesity and its complications, it is critical to appreciate the redundancy in the various signaling pathways.
Hopefully, recent discoveries in the energy homeostasis model will enhance the therapeutic armamentarium in the near future for this rapidly growing disease.
OBESITY/FAT DISTRIBUTION/INFLAMMATORY MARKERS
