The Metabolic Syndrome, Oxidative Stress, and the Liver

Obesity is the most common cause of insulin resistance and is associated with a number of health problems. These alterations are often known as the metabolic syndrome (MetS), which involves insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic liver diseases such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and cirrhosis (which may progress to hepatocellular carcinoma). In the present chapter, we discuss the main characteristics of the MetS, including its epidemiology, as well as the role of oxidative stress and insulin resistance in the MetS and NAFLD.