Figure 4.

Hypothalamic scheme for connecting aging with metabolic disorders. The diagram depicts the backbone relationships among the hypothalamus, aging and metabolic syndrome, suggesting that hypothalamic dysfunctions represent a key cause for initiating the onset of aging and metabolic syndromes although also individually depending on the context of age and chronic nutritional status but with some overlapping processes through the changes in neuroendocrine system and autonomic nervous system (ANS) which are important for hypothalamic and central control of whole-body physiological balance and homeostasis. Over a chronic term, aging and metabolic syndrome physiological changes can not only enhance each other but also reinforce hypothalamic dysfunctions, thus keeping the mechanisms and outcomes in a self-sustaining loop