Obesity: A template to trigger metabolic syndromes and carcinoma. Metformin: A drug target
Background: Obesity is a well-known partner of metabolic syndrome-X. While insulin resistance owns type-2 diabetes and hypercholesterolemia associated atherosclerosis ----- two burgeoning events of metabolic syndrome commonly catching up obese subjects over a period of time; carcinoma is also known as a rare associate in some cases of obesity. Review literature: Human obesity maintains hyper-leptinemia. Hyper-leptinemia induces hyperglycemia, which in turn templates hypercholesterolemia. Persisting hypercholesterolemia over a period of time may en route carcinoma. Thus obesity may be considered as a template for originating hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and tumorigenesis or in other words obesity can precipitate diabetes, atherosclerosis and carcinoma. Metformin may be a drug of choice to combat obesity induced metabolic syndrome and carcinogenesis. Conclusion: Primarily, co-morbidities of human obesity start with insulin resistance and then multiplies with metabolic irregularities. The drug metformin has bi-functional potential. It can increase insulin sensitivity in one hand, and can prevent tumorigenic incursion on other hand.