Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome: Neuroendocrine Regulation, Adipokine Biology, and Emerging Therapies

This chapter reviews the neuroendocrine underpinnings of energy homeostasis, with a focus on recent discoveries relating to hypothalamic circuits, gut-derived hormones, and adipose tissue as an active endocrine organ. The biology of adipokines — including leptin, adiponectin, resistin, and newly characterized adipocyte-secreted factors — is discussed in the context of metabolic syndrome and cardiometabolic risk. The chapter concludes with an appraisal of pharmacological and surgical interventions, including the transformative role of incretin-based therapies in obesity management.