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Ko Willems van Dijk

My research is focused on the genetics and systems biology of the Metabolic Syndrome with emphasis on the relation between obesity and its pathology, type-2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. The Metabolic Syndrome is defined by the co-occurrence of central obesity, high fasting glucose, high blood pressure, low HDL-cholesterol and high triglycerides, which are all risk factors for diabetes and atherosclerosis. With the ever increasing rate of obesity in Western societies, the rates of type-2 diabetes and atherosclerosis are increasing dramatically.