With
obesity the amount of pro- and anti-inflammatory
adipokines released is increased within the fat tissue. These molecules are implicated in many clinical manifestations of this pathology such as diabetes, arterial
hypertension, or
cardiovascular disease. At the first stage, the fat tissue of the obese patient becomes resistant to the action of
insulin due to the effect of some of these
adipokines such as tumour
necrosis alpha (
TNF-alpha) or interleukine-6 (IL-6). At a second stage, this resistance occurs at other tissues and
glucose and
insulin levels are increased. This increase, together with high
adipokines levels that occur in diabetes, lead to the occurrence of different adverse events, such as the following: increase in oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, increase in blood pressure, and impairments in
lipoprotein metabolism, all of which are harmful for health. Practising physical activity and following a balanced diet, similar to the Mediterranean pattern with low fat and
salt consumption, would be helpful for improving
insulin resistance and
adipokines levels in obese people, thus helping improving their health status in the long run.