The case of visceral fat: argument for the defense

Increased plasma fatty acid concentrations may be responsible for many of the metabolic abnormalities associated with abdominal obesity. Excessive visceral fat is associated with insulin resistance and other metabolic risk factors for coronary heart disease. A study reported in this issue of the JCI evaluates the relative contribution of fatty acids released during lipolysis of visceral adipose tissue triglycerides to portal and systemic fatty acid flux in human subjects.