Obesity; epiphenomenon or cause of metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is a combination of metabolic-related health issues such as hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and hyperinsulinaemia that together increase significantly the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Its prevalence has dramatically increased over the last several decades throughout the world following that of obesity. Insulin resistance and abdominal obesity are considered its core, while the latter may generate via complex metabolic and biochemical pathways the rest parameters of metabolic syndrome. The current approach of treatment is based on treating the chronic cardiovascular malfunctions but there is increasing interest in approaches to managing abdominal obesity as the underlying cause.