Research

Hormonal

Chronic obesity causes adipose tissue dysfunction through a triad of unresolved inflammation, fibrosis, and impaired angiogenesis, driven by persistent hypoxia and adipocyte death.

Obesity is not just about having too much fat; it is about the fat tissue becoming sick due to lack of oxygen, inflammation, and scarring. Simply losing weight might not fix these underlying tissue issues if the diet and lifestyle don't support healthy tissue remodeling. Focus on strategies that improve metabolic health and reduce inflammation, not just scale weight.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
There are three dominant contributors to the pathogenesis of dysfunctional adipose tissue (AT) in obesity: unresolved inflammation, inappropriate extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and insufficient angiogenic potential.
Clair Crewe et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2017

Why this rating

High-quality review of multiple human and rodent studies, though it is a narrative review rather than a single primary trial.

Source

The ominous triad of adipose tissue dysfunction: inflammation, fibrosis, and impaired angiogenesis

Clair Crewe et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2017

DOI 10.1172/jci88883

narrative_reviewCited 717×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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