This book provides a description of the impact of obesity on the cardiovascular system and the increased predisposition to cardiovascular disease (CVD) .According to the World Health Organization overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that presents a risk to health in men, women and children. There is now unequivocal evidence that obesity is a global epidemic in both children and adults and is associated with numerous comorbidities including cardiac and vascular abnormalities as well as reduced quality of life and lower life expectancy. In fact, obesity is an independent risk factor for CVD in adults as well as in obese children. The economic burden and human costs associated with obesity and related diseases have risen dramatically and are expected to continue to rise.Although body fatness as percent ideal body weight has been used for assessment of overweight/obesity, another assessment and classification tool in use is measurement of the body mass index (BMI). BMI (weight in kilograms/height2 in meters) is frequently used as a surrogate measure of fatness in children and adults. In adults, overweight is defined as a BMI of 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2; obesity is defined as a BMI ≥30.0 kg/m2. While metabolic disturbances are known to occur, adaptations/alterations in cardiac structure and function also occur with excessive accumulation of adipose tissue. On the other hand, obesity may affect the heart as a consequence of other known risk factors including dyslipidemia, hypertension, glucose intolerance, oxidative stress and inflammation. Being overweight or obese increases the risk for the occurrence of a number of different cardiac complications such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, and sudden death because of their impact on the cardiovascular system.This book will provide a description of the impact of obesity on the cardiovascular system and increased predisposition to CVD. It will identify the major biochemical mechanisms that lead to the occurrence of myocardial abnormalities and vascular alterations in obesity. The book will also address the epidemic of obesity in both children and adults as well as some consideration of sex differences in the mechanisms of obesity induced dysfunction of the cardiovascular system. We will also have some discussion on the biochemistry of the so called obesity paradox, a hypothesis which holds that obesity may, counter-intuitively, be protective and associated with greater survival in certain groups of people. The contributors to this book are international experts on obesity and associated cardiovascular complications. This book is also uniquely positioned as it focuses on the biochemistry of obesity-induced cardiovascular dysfunction. There are 21 chapters in 2 different parts in this book, comprising of Part A: Pathophysiology of Cardiovascular Complications in Obesity (11 chapters) and Part B: Modification of Cardiovascular Dysfunction in obesity (10 chapters).   The intent of this volume is to provide current and basic understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of obesity induced cardiovascular dysfunction that will be of value not only to cardiologists and other allied health professionals, but will also stimulate and motivate biomedical researchers and scientists to find the way to prevent the epidemic of obesity associated cardiovascular abnormalities. Furthermore, this book will serve as a highly useful resource for medical students, fellows, residents and graduate students with an interest in the cardiovascular system.In summary, this monograph covers a broad range of biochemical mechanisms of obesity-induced cardiovascular complications. We hope that the reader will understand that obesity is linked to an increase in the risk and occurrence of fatal CVD. Furthermore, the underlying message presented in the monograph is that the cause of obesity related disorders is complex and that understanding the biochemistry of cardiovascular dysfunction may contribute to the development of novel interventions for the prevention and treatment of obesity associated comorbidities. weiterlesen