Dear Colleagues,

Obesity is associated with a reduced life expectancy, largely because obese individuals are at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and several types of cancer. A great deal of interest has recently focused on the concept that “all obesity is not created equally.” Obese individuals without the metabolic abnormalities that commonly accompany excess adiposity, a condition known as metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), account for a substantial proportion of the obese adult population. Numerous possible mechanisms underlying MHO have been suggested, including adipose tissue distribution and inflammation. However, the prognostic value of MHO is controversial and considerably challenging.

Despite the debate about the clinical implications of MHO, it provides a unique human model system to study mechanisms linking the biological factors that promote weight gain and fat accumulations to obesity-related cardiometabolic complications. Although the exact mechanism underlying the MHO phenotype remains to be identified, several studies have looked at the differences between metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese individuals, including adipose tissue inflammation, immune regulation, and cellular energy metabolism.

Thereby, we invite colleagues to contribute to the present Special Issue with papers focused on a spectrum of MHO-related topics (basic and translational research), ranging from the molecular and cellular pathways of MHO to animal models to study MHO and novel pharmacological and molecular targets for the treatment of MHO.

Dr. Chang Hee Jung
Guest Editor

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• metabolically healthy obesity
• obesity
• metabolic syndrome
• pathogenesis
• molecular mechanisms
• animal models
• therapeutic targets
• multi-omics