<P> There is debate regarding whether obesity or insulin resistance is the cause of the metabolic syndrome or if they are consequences of a more far - reaching metabolic derangement . A number of markers of systemic inflammation, including C - reactive protein, are often increased, as are fibrinogen, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor - alpha (TNF - α), and others . Some have pointed to a variety of causes, including increased uric acid levels caused by dietary fructose . </P> <P> Research shows that Western diet habits are a factor in development of metabolic syndrome, with high consumption of food that is not biochemically suited to humans . Weight gain is associated with metabolic syndrome . Rather than total adiposity, the core clinical component of the syndrome is visceral and / or ectopic fat (i.e., fat in organs not designed for fat storage) whereas the principal metabolic abnormality is insulin resistance . The continuous provision of energy via dietary carbohydrate, lipid, and protein fuels, unmatched by physical activity / energy demand creates a backlog of the products of mitochondrial oxidation, a process associated with progressive mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance . </P> <P> Recent research indicates prolonged chronic stress can contribute to metabolic syndrome by disrupting the hormonal balance of the hypothalamic - pituitary - adrenal axis (HPA - axis). A dysfunctional HPA - axis causes high cortisol levels to circulate, which results in raising glucose and insulin levels, which in turn cause insulin - mediated effects on adipose tissue, ultimately promoting visceral adiposity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and hypertension, with direct effects on the bone, causing "low turnover" osteoporosis . HPA - axis dysfunction may explain the reported risk indication of abdominal obesity to cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes and stroke . Psychosocial stress is also linked to heart disease . </P> <P> Central obesity is a key feature of the syndrome, being both a symptom and a cause of it in that the increasing adiposity often reflected in high waist circumference both often results from and often contributes to insulin resistance . However, despite the importance of obesity, patients who are of normal weight may also be insulin - resistant and have the syndrome . </P>

What molecule in sugar helps promote metabolic syndrome