Figure 7

(A) The link between body mass index and inflammation. The curved line is a schematic representation of the baseline relationship between inflammatory processes and adiposity in one hypothetical individual. As the body mass index in an individual increases or decreases, inflammation typically follows. (B) The dashed-curved line represents the relationship between body mass index and inflammation in a hypothetical individual (equivalent to the solid line in the previous graph). When body weight does not change, changes in inflammation can still occur. The box at lower right catalogs antiinflammatory activities. The box at the upper left shows proinflammatory activities. (C) Typically with body weight increases, the defenses against infection increase. The dashed line with an arrow points to conditions that diminish the immune response below the level expected for that body mass index.