Excessive adipose tissue is potentially pathogenic due to its mass effects and through adverse metabolic/immune responses, which may lead to
cardiovascular disease risk factors (eg,
type 2 diabetes mellitus,
hypertension,
dyslipidemia, and possibly
atherosclerosis itself). Positive caloric balance in genetically/environmentally susceptible patients may result in adipocyte
hypertrophy, visceral adipose tissue accumulation, and ectopic fat deposition, all causally associated with
metabolic disease, and all anatomic manifestations of "adiposopathy" (a term used to describe adipose tissue pathology).
Weight loss through improved nutrition, increased physical activity, and
weight loss agents (ie,
orlistat and
sibutramine) improves adiposopathy and improves many
metabolic diseases whose prevalence are directly associated with an increase in body fat and sedentary lifestyle.
Cannabinoid receptor antagonists improve adiposopathy through
weight reduction and favorable metabolic effects upon multiple body organs (including adipocytes).
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonists may improve adiposopathy through recruitment of functional fat cells and apoptosis of dysfunctional fat cells.