Central obesity, characterized by fat accumulation in
the central region of the body, is a public health
problem. The incidence of this type of obesity is higher
than being overweight as diagnosed by the body mass
index.23 Central obesity is more strongly associated
with metabolic changes that result from the deposition
of fat in other regions.
Excess abdominal fat has recently been considered a
sine qua non26 for diagnosis of metabolic syndrome,
which is associated with increased risk for cardiovascular
disease.27,28 Accumulation of abdominal fat results
in excessive liberation of fatty acids from the visceral
adipose tissue, favoring the occurrence of hyperinsulinemia
and insulin resistance, which are associated
with an inflammatory and thrombogenic profile