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Nature 444, 881-887 (14 December 2006) | doi:10.1038/nature05488; Published online 13 December 2006
Review Article Abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome
Jean-Pierre Després1,2 & Isabelle Lemieux1
Abstract
Metabolic syndrome is associated with abdominal obesity, blood lipid disorders, inflammation, insulin resistance or full-blown diabetes, and increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Proposed criteria for identifying patients with metabolic syndrome have contributed greatly to preventive medicine, but the value of metabolic syndrome as a scientific concept remains controversial. The presence of metabolic syndrome alone cannot predict global cardiovascular disease risk. But abdominal obesity — the most prevalent manifestation of metabolic syndrome — is a marker of 'dysfunctional adipose tissue', and is of central importance in clinical diagnosis. Better risk assessment algorithms are needed to quantify diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk on a global scale.
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