Adrenal Function and Obesity

Obesity is a multifactorial pathology. The role of glucocorticoids (GCs) in the pathophysiology of obesity is studied for many years and not completely elucidated; anyway, GCs play an important role in the regulation of metabolic homeostasis and on lipid metabolism and are involved in obesity development through numerous mechanisms. The relationship between adipogenesis and GCs is complex, and the pathway leading preadipocyte differentiation involves GC stimuli. Moreover, GCs have a role in lipogenesis through the beta-adrenergic pathway and in appetite sense involving many molecules such as neuropeptide Y, leptin, and ghrelin.