Putative mechanisms connecting obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), obesity, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) (IMAGE) Xia & He Publishing Inc. Caption Double-headed arrow (between “Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome” and “Obesity”): This indicates a bidirectional relationship between Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and obesity. Intermittent hypoxia may lead to obesity, and obesity may exacerbate the effects of intermittent hypoxia. Downward arrow (from “Obesity” to the blue box): This shows that obesity acts as a critical intermediary process leading to the subsequent mechanisms involved in metabolic syndrome. Downward arrow (from the blue box to “Metabolic Syndrome”): This indicates that the various physiological mechanisms and pathological changes within the blue box collectively contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome. CRP, C-reactive protein; FFA, free fatty acids; IL-6, interleukin 6; RAAS, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; SNS, sympathetic nervous system; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Credit Tong Feng, Jixiang Li, Liang Zeng Usage Restrictions Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. License CC BY-NC Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.