Research
Hormonal
Central (visceral) obesity is a primary driver of metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and insulin resistance through mechanisms involving increased lipolysis, pro-inflammatory cytokine release, and free fatty acid flux to the liver.
Focus on reducing abdominal fat, as it is more dangerous than fat stored elsewhere. This involves managing overall energy balance and addressing insulin resistance through lifestyle changes, as visceral fat drives metabolic syndrome.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
The intra-abdominal visceral deposition of adipose tissue... is a major contributor to the development of hypertension, elevated plasma insulin concentrations and insulin resistance, hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidaemia (metabolic syndrome).
Why this rating
Based on a comprehensive review article citing multiple large-scale studies and established physiological mechanisms.
Source
Health risks associated with overweight and obesity
P Kopelman · Obesity Reviews · 2007
DOI 10.1111/j.1467-789x.2007.00311.x
narrative_reviewCited 738×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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