Hormonal
Obesity, particularly visceral adipose tissue (VAT) accumulation, promotes cardiovascular disease through mechanisms including chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction, leading to conditions like hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart failure.
Obesity is not just about weight; it causes real physical changes in your body, especially around your belly (visceral fat), that increase your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. These changes involve inflammation and hormonal imbalances that damage your blood vessels and heart. Understanding this helps explain why treating obesity is crucial for long-term heart health, not just appearance.
Ectopic fat accumulation and dysregulated adipose tissue represent the main features of obesity and lead to insulin resistance, lipotoxicity, and activation of proinflammatory pathways, which are involved in the progression of vascular and heart damage and increase the risk of cardiovascular events.
Why this rating
This is a well-established pathophysiological mechanism described in a comprehensive review.
Source
Update on Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk: From Pathophysiology to Clinical Management
Giovanna Gallo et al. · Nutrients · 2024
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