Obesity and related health problems (e.g. type 2 diabetes,
hypertension, and atherosclerosis) are the most prevalent nutritionrelated
issues in the United States [1], affecting over 50% of the adult
population [2]. The cluster of obesity-related metabolic diseases is
known as the metabolic syndrome. One emerging feature of the
metabolic syndrome is its linkage with chronic inflammation in
adipose tissue (AT) that becomes systemic [1,3]. This chronic systemic