Obesity has become an epidemic problem in western societies, contributing to metabolic
diseases, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Although the importance of obesity
as a cause of hypertension is well established, the molecular basis of the relationship
between obesity and increased blood pressure remains poorly understood. This brief
review examines the association between obesity and hypertension along with the mechanisms
proposed to explain this association, while presenting evidence of a direct causal
effect of adipose tissue in the development of hypertension through the involvement
of the adrenal cortex.
Overweight - Adipose tissue - Adrenal - Aldosterone