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Of Vitruvian mice and men
Author(s) -
Nagy Laszlo
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/j.febslet.2007.12.009
Subject(s) - overweight , metabolic syndrome , obesity , abdominal obesity , population , anthropometry , medicine , insulin resistance , human body , gerontology , demography , environmental health , anatomy , sociology
Leonardo Da Vinci s Vitruvian man—often called the Proportions of Man—is a blend of art and science. Leonardo based his drawing on hints from the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius. It is an elegant illustration of his interest in both proportions and human anatomy. Today, however, we recognize that there is no such thing as a universal set of proportions for the human body. In fact, a field of research called anthropometry has been created in order to document and study these differences. In recent years, some of our proportions have begun to change at an alarming rate. The most recognizable of these is an increase in our body weight. If Da Vinci were alive today, he would find it difficult to establish universal and lasting rules of body proportions. Sixty-six percent of the US population is now considered overweight or obese and this trend is poised to continue. Changes in our body proportions, particularly the increase in central obesity, carry serious pathological consequences. The most prominent of these is the ‘‘metabolic syndrome’’, first defined by Reaven. Also referred to as ‘‘syndrome X’’, the metabolic syndrome is a medical condition estimated by the American Heart Association to affect 20–25% of Americans. The condition is defined by the coincidence of three of the following clinical symptoms: insulin resistance, excessive abdominal fat, high blood sugar levels, high triglycerides, low HDL, a prothrombic state or high blood pressure. It is believed that the underlying causes of metabolic syndrome include overweight, physical inactivity and genetic factors. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality. Metabolic syndrome is a very complex condition likely reflecting multiple underlying pathologies. Some of this complexity derives from the fact that numerous physiological pathways contribute to feeding, glucose production and lipid synthesis, as well as fuel catabolism, storage and utilization. This complexity is further amplified by the diversity of the tissues and cell types (i.e. liver, muscle, fat, pancreas, adipose tissue, CNS, immune cells, etc.) contributing to and regulating these processes. Our goal for this Special Issue was to highlight recent advances in research on various aspects of the metabolic syn-