Table 9.

The Potential Mechanisms Connecting the Metabolic Syndrome to Cancer Development and Future Areas of Study

Risk factors for the metabolic syndrome	Potential mechanisms	Future research
Obesity	Aromatase; adipokines; angiogenic factors; excess energy intake	Identify and characterize adipokines; find tumor-specific inhibitor of angiogenesis; inhibit tumorigenic adipose cytokine production; regulation of energy intake and expenditure
Hyperinsulinemia	Insulin and IGF-1 growth factors; inhibition of SHBG	Increased insulin sensitivity; reduce hyperinsulinemia
Hyperglycemia	Excess energy intake; ROS	Regulation of energy intake and expenditure; identify and inhibit ROS
Hypertension	Unknown
Dyslipidemia (increased TG, decreased HDLc)	Contributes to IR; ROS	Increase insulin sensitivity; inhibit ROS, AGEs, and precursors