Figure 2.

Characteristics of adipose tissue in metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO). In MHO individuals, adipose tissue is capable of expansion to enable safe storage of excess energy as lipids in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) depots. However, in individuals who transition to MUO, there is restriction in further SAT expansion, resulting in disproportionate lipid accumulation in visceral adipose tissue (VAT), as well as spill-over of lipid from adipose tissue into circulation and to ectopic deposition in other tissues such as liver and skeletal muscles. Adipose tissue in MUO is also characterized by adipose inflammation, abnormal adipokine/cytokine production, adipocyte insulin resistance and abnormal intracellular lipid metabolism, which underlie the dyslipidemia and systemic inflammation of the MUO state. (SAT, subcutaneous adipose tissue; VAT, visceral adipose tissue).