Diabetes affects approximately 194 million individuals worldwide. A large majority of these cases is due to type 2 diabetes and is linked to patients being overweight or obese. Reducing weight and controlling glucose in diabetic patients is important in order to minimize the risk of heart disease and other disabling complications. The SERENADE study examined the benefit of using CB1 blockade in type 2 diabetes to tackle cardiometabolic risk.

With 23% of the population worldwide now obese, the risks of developing CV disease and type 2 diabetes are escalating. Lifestyle changes and current pharmacological interventions are having limited success. Explore case studies of CB1 blockade as part of the treatment regimen in countries where approved.

In recent years, healthcare providers have become more aware of the risks of CVD and diabetes associated with abdominal obesity. What if the patient is not obese but simply overweight? How do we best assess the risk? What do we do when lifestyle changes and conventional pharmacological treatments are not successful? Evidence supports that cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1) blockade therapy could be a promising alternative. If CB1 blockade becomes available in the United States, who will be the ideal candidate? Join our faculty as they explore these thought-provoking questions.

Obesity is a growing epidemic around the world, with over 300 million obese individuals worldwide. The presence of abdominal obesity, which is easily determined by measuring waist circumference, has been identified as a contributing factor to cardiovascular risk. Ethnic and gender differences related to this disorder exist around the globe. This program will highlight the magnitude of the problem, explore gender and ethnic differences, and discuss strategies for managing the care of obese patients. Get the Canadian perspective on abdominal obesity and cardiovascular risk from Drs Abramson, Genest, and Lonn.

The incidence of diabetes is projected to rise from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030. One contributing factor to the escalating incidence is the global epidemic of abdominal obesity. Modern lifestyles and dietary habits are contributing to an increase in diabetes with a consequent rise in inter-related cardiometabolic risk factors. This program will review recent research findings related to the relationship between cardiometabolic risk factors and diabetes, with an emphasis on future trends for management of the patient with dysglycemia

Abdominal obesity is known to increase the risk of comorbidities such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension, and has been linked to cardiovascular risk independently of body mass index. This health threat is largely due to an excess of intra-abdominal adipose tissue. CB1 receptor blockade has been shown to improve cardiometabolic risk factors both directly and indirectly by reducing intra-abdominal adiposity. This symposium will review the risks associated with abdominal obesity as well as data surrounding rimonabant, the first CB1 receptor antagonist.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 41 million people in the US aged 40-74 years have prediabetes and many will develop diabetes within 10 years. While glucose elevations may be below the threshold of diabetes, the patient is at risk for heart disease, retinopathy and kidney dysfunction. This program will highlight the ongoing debate defining prediabetes, the significance of early recognition of dysglycemia, and current research toward the reduction of CV risk in dysglycemic patients.

CVD remains the number one killer of both men and women. Sex disparities are well documented with some speculation that suboptimal preventive care and lack of awareness of personal CVD risk may contribute to poor outcomes in women. This program highlights the findings of a recently published large study which focused on screening of cardiometabolic risk in women.

Increasing awareness of the relationship between specific cardiometabolic risk factors and CVD remains at the forefront of medical education. Are you familiar with each risk factor and how it impacts your patients' health? Are you informed regarding the most recent research, treatment strategies, and potential new treatments on the horizon? It is highly important to measure your knowledge in this arena so you can optimize preventive measures in your patients. Take this opportunity to evaluate your knowledge and see how you measure up in comparison to your peers.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the major cause of mortality worldwide and is responsible for approximately 17 million deaths per year. This figure is expected to rise to 24 million by 2030. Recent findings support that abdominal obesity is a much better predictor of CVD than weight or body mass index, but this information is not available in all countries. The IDEA survey addresses the assessment of abdominal obesity in 63 countries in over 177 000 patients presenting to primary care.

Cardiometabolic risk combines classical risk factors (smoking, elevated cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes) with emerging markers such as intra-abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. At the American College of Cardiology 2006 Scientific Sessions many presentations focused on assessing cardiovascular risk. This program will highlight several of those presentations and provide new insights related to ethnic/gender differences, new serum markers, economic impact, and strategies for assessing and treating patients at risk for cardiovascular disease.

Recent debates and recommendations support the lower is better hypothesis regarding LDL-C levels. Diabetic patients with an increased risk of coronary events will most likely benefit from such aggressive lowering. Glitazones and fenofibrates have demonstrated great benefit in such patients. Dr Chris Cannon will discuss recent research findings related to these topics.