This chapter focuses on obesity and adipose tissue dysfunction and its consequences. Excess fat can be stored in different regions and acquires different functions depending on the characteristics of the adipocytes in these regions. Thus one type of fat cell stores lipid in a labile way, is sensitive to lipolytic stimuli, and is located primarily in the abdominal regions. The abdominal obesity is commonly found in men. The abdominal fat cells need lipid for their lipid mobilization process. Therefore, it seems probable that the turnover of lipid in these cells is quicker than that in the gluteal-femoral cells and that the abdominal fat cells should also have an efficient lipid accumulation system. The ultimate regulatory processes of lipid accumulation and turnover in adipocytes from different regions are yet to be understood but probably depend on hormonal influences. Recent studies on the regional obesity demonstrate that obesity is an independent risk factor although a 16–26 year follow-up period is required to demonstrate this. Abdominal obesity should be diagnosed liberally utilizing for example abdominal circumference measurements as an adjunct to body weight measurements. Hypertrophic obesity often is transformed into hyperplastic obesity and this transformation can actually be followed in each fat depot. Abdominal obesity is a simple and straightforward name for an obesity located in the abdominal region.
