Obesity Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Obesity, including details on health, diet, prevention, exercise.

Obesity and cardiovascular disease: pathophysiology, evaluation, and effect of weight loss.

Poirier P, Giles TD, Bray GA, Hong Y, Stern JS, Pi-Sunyer FX, Eckel RH

Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, Sainte-Foy, Canada. paul.poirier@crhl.ulaval.ca

Obesity is becoming a global epidemic in both children and adults, and it is associated with numerous co-morbidities such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD), type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain cancers, and sleep apnea/sleep-disordered breathing. In fact, is an independent risk factor for CVD and CVD risks have been also documented in obese children, and is associated with reduced life expectancy. A variety of adaptations/alterations in cardiac structure and function occur in the individual as adipose tissue accumulates in excess amount. As a whole, overweight/obesity predispose or is associated with numerous cardiac complications such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, and sudden death through its impact on the cardiovascular system.

Published 21 April 2006 in Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, 26(5): 968-76.
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