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Updated: Jun 13, 2026
08:53
Localization, Identification, and Excision of Murine Adipose Depots
Published on: December 4, 2014
[Obesity: ectopic fat distribution and the heart]
Dirk Müller-Wieland1, Birgit Knebel, Jutta Haas
1Abteilung für Allgemeine Innere Medizin, Gastroenterologie, Endokrinologie, Diabetes und Stoffwechsel, Institut für diabetologische Versorgungsforschung, Asklepios Klinik St. Georg, Hamburg, Germany. d.mueller-wieland@asklepios.com
Herz
|May 15, 2010
Summary
Metabolic syndrome involves insulin resistance and visceral fat, contributing to high blood pressure and dyslipidemia. This review explores how ectopic fat, including epicardial fat, impacts heart function and may relate to heart failure.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Metabolic Disorders
- Obesity Research
Context:
- Metabolic syndrome is characterized by insulin resistance and visceral adiposity.
- These factors contribute to clinical manifestations like hypertension and dyslipidemia.
- Ectopic lipid accumulation in non-adipose tissues, such as the liver (steatosis hepatis), is increasingly recognized.
Purpose:
- To review the association between insulin resistance, visceral fat, and ectopic fat accumulation.
- To examine the role of epicardial fat in relation to insulin resistance and cardiac function.
- To discuss the potential link between ectopic cardiac fat, impaired heart function, and heart failure.
Summary:
- Insulin resistance and increased visceral adipose tissue are linked to ectopic lipid accumulation in non-adipose cells, including the liver.
- Epicardial fat shows a similar association with insulin resistance as visceral intra-abdominal fat.
- Ectopic fat in cardiac muscle cells can impair heart function and may contribute to heart failure.
Impact:
- Highlights novel connections between obesity, fat distribution, and cardiac health.
- Suggests potential for earlier identification and more targeted treatment of at-risk individuals.
- Advances understanding of metabolic syndrome's complex relationship with cardiovascular outcomes.
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