WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN OBESITY AND INSULIN RESISTANCE AND INFLAMMATION?

Obesity, which has reached epidemic propor-tions in the U.S. and is increasing worldwide, isclosely associated with insulin resistance (pe-ripheral and hepatic) and with a state of low-grade inflammation, the latter characterized by elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines in blood and tissues (1). Insulin resistance and inflammation in turn are asso-ciated with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, atherogenic dyslipidemias, and disorders of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, all of which are independent risk factors for the development of atherosclerotic vascular disease, in-cluding heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral arterial disease (1)