The American Obesity Association identifies obesity s link to numerous medical conditions, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several cancers, and a host of inflammatory disorders. Evidence indicates that inflammation has more than a corollary relation with obesity; that in fact, obesity itself manifests a low-grade, metabolically associated inflammation involving many of the same mediators associated with classic inflammation. Concurrent with our understanding, we have to recognize that more than a storage site for fat, adipose tissue itself is an essential...