Report of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Working Group on the Pathophysiology of Obesity-Associated Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

T he ongoing obesity epidemic and its impending cardio- vascular consequences represent a serious public health problem with worrisome implications for medical treatment.The urgency of providing new research directions recently led the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to convene a Working Group on the Pathophysiology of Obesity-Associated Cardiovascular Disease.Gathered at this meeting were researchers with substantial experience and expertise in either obesity-related sciences, including epidemiology, endocrinology, and metabolism, or cardiovascular sciences, including cardiology, neurobiology, hematology, renal function, and pediatrics.This report is the culmination of the blending of ideas during the 2-day meeting.The resulting research recommendations include the development of new models and synergistic approaches to basic studies of obesity-associated cardiovascular diseases.