When fatty tissue in the abdomen becomes active and produces hormones and inflammatory substances, this is known as adipose tissue dysfunction.
Overweight, in particular around the abdomen, is the most important cause of adipose tissue dysfunction. However, not everyone who is overweight has adipose tissue dysfunction and not everyone with adipose tissue dysfunction is overweight. This is what Annemarie Wassink explains in her doctoral dissertation.
It appears that even in patients with vascular disease without high blood pressure and cholesterol, the presence of the metabolic syndrome increases the risk of new vascular diseases developing. Metabolic syndrome is the term used when a number of cardiovascular risk factors strongly associated with overweight are present at the same time. These factors are: increased levels of fatty acids and glucose in the blood, a low level of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol and high blood pressure. It is possible that patients with vascular diseases and metabolic syndrome could benefit from trying to achieve a lower blood pressure and cholesterol level than is presently recommended. In addition, the treatment should focus primarily on tackling the problem of overweight, as this is the real culprit.
Annemarie Wassink will receive her PhD on September 22 from Utrecht University. The title of her dissertation is “Metabolic syndrome and the development of vascular disease and type 2 diabetes in high-risk patients.”