• Benjamin L Rosin.
• Department of Cardiology, Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA.
• Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2007 Jan 1;8 Suppl 4:S3-8.

AbstractA cluster of risk factors associated with obesity defines the metabolic syndrome and identifies cardiometabolic risk. Accumulation of fat in the visceral depot is a more reliable predictor of cardiovascular disease than is total body mass or body mass index. The recent discovery of the endocannabinoid-CB1 receptor system and its impact on the regulation of energy metabolism represents a significant advance that will help target visceral fat and its metabolic implications. As a highly active endocrine organ, visceral fat secretes many bioactive molecules, known as adipokines. Dysregulation of these adipokines contributes to the pathogenesis of the obesity-associated metabolic syndrome, resulting in insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and vascular disease. Even modest weight reduction leads to reduced cardiometabolic risk by affecting the individual components comprising the metabolic syndrome.

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