Obesity, adipose tissue, inflammation and update on obesity management

Abstract

[Abstract] Obesity is a serious, common and growing problem. Obesity can be defined as an excess of body fat. Its clinical management is complex and frequently unsuccessful. It has only recently been regarded as a chronic disease, linked with diabetes, dyslipidaemia and cardiovascular disease. It is increasingly known that obesity is a multifactorial disease; involving genetic determinants that interacting with environmental factors results in obesity. The global epidemic of obesity imposes a major disease burden, particularly cardiovascular disease. There is a clear link between adipose tissue and inflammation, object of the present review. Adipose tissue is considered a dynamic organ with extremely sophisticated functions. Obesity is associated with low chronic inflammation through the secretion of adipokines. Inflammation mediates on the development of metabolic diseases associated with obesity, dyslipidaemia, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. The treatment of obesity has evolved, from short time and simple diet together with increase in physical activity to long-term approaches based on changes in eating behavior and physical habits.