Metabolic Consequences of Obesity

Abstract This chapter reviews the links between obesity and individual components of the metabolic syndrome as well as underlying biological mechanisms, such as insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction. It discusses recent epidemiologic studies on risk of diabetes in relation to changes in fat distribution, the role of overall adiposity versus abdominal obesity, and the relative importance of fatness versus fitness. The chapter also examines epidemiologic literature related to “fellow travelers” of the metabolic syndrome.