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(Hypertension. 2009;53:577.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Brief Review

Visceral Obesity

The Link Among Inflammation, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease

Patrick Mathieu; Paul Poirier; Philippe Pibarot; Isabelle Lemieux; Jean-Pierre Després

From the Department of Surgery (P.M.), Division of Kinesiology, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine (I.L., J.-P.D.), Department of Medicine (P. Pibarot) and Faculty of Pharmacy (P. Poirier), Laval Hospital Research Center/Quebec Heart Institute, Laval University, Quebec, Canada.

Correspondence to Patrick Mathieu, Laval Hospital, 2725 Chemin Ste-Foy, Quebec, Canada, G1V-4G5. E-mail patrick.mathieu@chg.ulaval.ca

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

	Introduction

 
The worldwide epidemic of obesity, fostered by the modern lifestyle characterized by the lack of physical activity and an energy-dense diet, has contributed to create an unprecedented condition in human history where a majority of overfed individuals will soon surpass the number of malnourished.¹ Obesity-associated disorders, such as diabetes mellitus, an atherogenic dyslipidemia, and hypertension, have undoubtedly contributed to create an atherosclerosis-prone environment and thereby the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a leading cause of mortality in Westernized societies. A growing body of evidence indicates that obesity is a heterogeneous condition in which body fat distribution is closely associated with metabolic perturbations and, thus, with CVD risk.² In this regard, accumulation of visceral (intra-abdominal) fat is strongly associated with insulin resistance and with a typical atherogenic dyslipidemic state.³

The adipose tissue, once considered a simple energy warehouse, is now regarded as a complex organ not only contributing to the management of energy flux within the body but also interacting with the inflammatory system and the vascular wall. Furthermore, recent studies have underlined that there are intricate interplays among adipocytes, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which participate in the obesity-associated dysmetabolic state. Thus, the adipose tissue is believed to play an important role in the development of both hypertension and other complications related to insulin resistance. However, it should be pointed out that different fat depots have distinct metabolic characteristics, leading to individual differences in the impact of obesity on cardiometabolic risk. Herein, we reviewed the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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