The Sizes and Numbers of Cells in Visceral Organs in Human Obesity

Abstract

Published data describing cell structure in obesity deal almost exclusively with adipose tissue. Similar abnormalities sometimes exist in the parenchymal cells of other organs. Twenty-six obese young adults and 22 obese children had enlarged organs compared with non-obese individuals matched for body length, age, and sex. The organ enlargement proved due to increases in numbers as well as sizes of parenchymal cells.