Adipose tissue: a mediator of cardiovascular risk.

Two key findings regarding the cardiovascular risks associated with obesity have emerged in recent years: one relates to the importance of visceral obesity as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and the other to the recognition that adipose tissue can be regarded as a large endocrine organ that directly contributes to cardiovascular risk by secreting a number of molecules known to modulate vascular, metabolic, inflammatory and other functional aspects of the cardiovascular system. Therefore, abdominal fat deposition, which is characterized by increase in waist circumference, should be the target of clinical intervention in obese individuals.