ABSTRACT
Different prospective epidemiological studies have shown that overweight and obese men and women, especially those with abdominal obesity, experience increased risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes (1-4). Abdominal obesity belongs to the metabolic syndrome that includes insulin resistance, changes in lipoprotein metabolism (hypertriglyceridemia and hypo HDL cholesterolemia), abnormalities of vascular homeostasis with hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, and a prothrombotic state.
