Summary

Abdominal obesity is a marker of dysfunctional adipose tissue [Després JP, Lemieux I. Nature 2006]. This article provides an overview of alterations in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue function in individuals with visceral obesity, with an emphasis on adipose tissue metabolism. He also discussed fat cell size, adipocyte hypertrophy and storage capacity; adipose tissue lipolysis; excess substrate and inflammation; mesenteric adipose tissue; and abdominal fat in severe obesity.