Ectopic adiposopathy and association with cardiovascular disease risk factors: The Uberlândia Heart Study

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Ectopic fat is a risk factor for multiple CVD risk factors, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) [ 1 Thom T. Haase N. Rosamond W. Howard V.J. Rumsfeld J. Manolio T. et al. American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics — 2006 update: a report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation. 2006; 113: e85-e151 Crossref PubMed Scopus (2655) Google Scholar , 2 Fox C.S. Evans J.C. Larson M.G. Kannel W.B. Levy D. Temporal trends in coronary heart disease mortality and sudden cardiac death from 1950 to 1999: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 2004; 110: 522-527 Crossref PubMed Scopus (344) Google Scholar , 3 Hu F.B. Stampfer M.J. Manson J.E. Grodstein F. Colditz G.A. Speizer F.E. et al. Trends in the incidence of coronary heart disease and changes in diet and lifestyle in women. N. Engl. J. Med. 2000; 343: 530-537 Crossref PubMed Scopus (369) Google Scholar ]. Visceral fat has been termed an endocrine organ, in part because it secretes adipocytokines and other vasoactive substances that can influence the risk of developing metabolic traits [ 4 Kanaya A.M. Harris T. Goodpaster B.H. Tylavsky F. Cummings S.R. Adipocytokines attenuate the association between visceral adiposity and diabetes in older adults. Diabetes Care. 2004; 27: 1375-1380 Crossref PubMed Scopus (111) Google Scholar , 5 DeMarco V.G. Aroor A.R. Sowers J.R. The pathophysiology of hypertension in patients with obesity. Nat. Rev. Endocrinol. 2014; 10: 364-376 Crossref PubMed Scopus (290) Google Scholar ].