Endocrine Abstracts

Obesity/Metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance, hypertension, cardiovascular disease) has reached epidemic levels in western societies. Aberrantly elevated glucocorticoid amplification by intracellular enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD-1) within adipose tissue might explain the striking similarities between idiopathic obesity/metabolic syndrome and Cushing’s syndrome, causes by plasma GC excess. A major contributor to obesity/metabol...