Metabolic impact of body fat distribution

Many studies have shown that fat distribution influences metabolism independently of the effects of total body fat stores. The accumulation of fat in the abdominal area, particularly in the visceral fat compartment, seems to be associated with an increased risk to display complications such as insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemias and atherosclerosis. As reviewed in this paper, the mechanisms explaining this impact of fat distribution is not clearly established, although evidence suggests that free-fatty acids, leptin, TNF-alpha, PPAR-gamma, and F are directly or indirectly involved in this process. Despite a lot of research has yet to be per-formed to mechanistically characterize the impact of visceral fat on the metabolic profile, there is enough consensus in the literature about its effect to justify its consideration in a clinical setting. In this regard, the use of waist circumference as a clinical marker of variations in visceral fat is highly relevant and should be encouraged. This review also presents an evolutionary perspective according to which body fat gain would have been and may still remain an adaptation that helps to deal with stress and inflammation. (C) 2002, Editrice Kurtis.