Summary

The paper emphasizes the new concept of fatty tissue as an important endocrinous organ, analysing the structure and types of adiposity, its distribution and the regulation of adipogenesis.

It further studies the relation between metabolic syndrome and obesity, in adults and children, stressing that the fatty tissue is nowadays considered the great causal agent of this syndrome.
The author reviews the various substances envolved in the complex endocrinous processes that take place in the adipose tissue, such as leptine, adinopectine, alfa-TNF, interleucine 6, inhibitor of plasminogen activator, proteins of the renine-angiotensive system, visfatine, omentine and enzymes envolved in the metabolism of steroid hormones.