Endocrinology of obesity.

Obesity is a growing health concern in humans and companion animals. Obesity is highly associated with various endocrine abnormalities that are characterized by hormonal imbalance and/or resistance. Weight reduction generally normalizes these endocrine alterations, implicating obesity as a direct cause. Most data in this area have been derived from obese humans, with little data pertaining to hormonal changes in obese dogs and cats. Because the literature contains inconsistent results and because considerable hormone-hormone interactions occur, we have a limited understanding of the obesity-induced changes on the endocrine system in dogs and cats. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.