Article

Immunity as a link between obesity and insulin resistance.

Obesity Research Center, The University of Tennessee, United States.
Molecular Aspects of Medicine (impact factor: 9.97). 02/2012; 33(1):26-34. DOI:10.1016/j.mam.2011.10.011
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Obesity is a major public health problem in the United States and worldwide. Further, obesity is causally linked to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type-2 diabetes (T2D). A chronic low-grade inflammation occurring in adipose tissue is at least in part responsible for the obesity-induced insulin resistance. This adipose tissue inflammation is characterized by changes in immune cell populations giving rise to altered adipo/cytokine profiles, which in turn induces skeletal muscle and hepatic insulin resistance. Detailed molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance, adipose tissue inflammation and the implications of these findings on therapeutic strategies are discussed in this review.

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Keywords

adipo/cytokine profiles
 
adipose tissue
 
adipose tissue inflammation
 
chronic low-grade inflammation
 
hepatic insulin resistance
 
immune cell populations
 
implications
 
insulin resistance
 
major public health problem
 
metabolic syndrome
 
obesity-induced insulin resistance
 
turn induces skeletal muscle