Adipose tissue cellularity--an update
1981
Salans, Lester B.
Obesity may be associated with increased adipose cell size (hypertrophic obesity), adipocyte number (hypercellular obesity) or both. In humans, adipocyte hypercellularity is closely related to age of onset and severity of obesity. Obesity in early life is usually characterized by increased numbers of adipose cells, whereas adult obesity is usually accompanied by enlarged adipocytes and normal cell number. Hypercellularity is most likely to develop at 2 critical periods in early life--within the first 2 years and again at puberty. Once established, hypercellularity is permanent. Thus, the cellular characteristics of adipose tissue partly determine the development, clinical course and treatment outcome of obesity. Both genetic and nutritional factors may regulate the growth and cellularity of adipose tissue, predisposing some individuals to excess adiposity. Conversely, increase in number or size of adipose cells may stimulate neural mechanisms regulating eating behaviors.
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