Published online Nov 10, 2015. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v6.i15.1296
Peer-review started: July 14, 2015
First decision: August 25, 2015
Revised: September 14, 2015
Accepted: October 23, 2015
Article in press: October 27, 2015
Published online: November 10, 2015
Processing time: 124 Days and 15.4 Hours
Because of the intimate association of obesity with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), during the last two decades, extensive research work is being conducted to find out whether the coexistence of the two is a simple association or there is a positive correlating link between the two. In this article, an attempt has been made to collect and analyse the recent developments in this field and to arrive at a conclusion on the subject. The possible role of several important factors (obtained from adipocytes/not of adipocyte origin) in linking the two has been discussed in detail. Some of the agents, specifically adiponectin, are beneficial (i.e., reduce the incidence of both), while others are harmful (i.e., increase their incidence). From the analysis, it appears that obesity and T2DM are intimately linked.
Core tip: The objective of this article is to establish the connection of obesity with that of insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by analyzing the recent developments in this field. The factors linking the three have been found to be some adipocytokines as well as certain other factors not of adipocyte origin. Of these, adiponectin appears to play the most beneficial role (so also leptin, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, apelin, etc.), while others (tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, resistin, retinol binding protein-4, dipeptidyl peptidase-4, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, visfatin, free fatty acid, angiotensin II and toll-like receptors) are harmful. Agonists and antagonists of these factors may be designed to fight against obesity, thereby achieving protection for IR and T2DM.