In this thesis we investigate the Dehn functions of two different classes of groups: subdirect products, in particular subdirect products of limit groups; and Bestvina-Brady groups. Let D = ��_1 \times ... \times ��_n be a direct product of n \geq 3 finitely presented groups and let H be a subgroup of D. Suppose that each ��_i contains a finite index subgroup ��_i' \leq ��_i such that the commutator subgroup [D', D'] of D' = ��_1' \times ... \times ��_n' is contained in H. Suppose furthermore that, for each i, the subgroup ��_i H has finite index in D. We prove that H is finitely presented and satisfies an isoperimetric inequality given in terms of area-radius pairs for the ��_i and the dimension of (D'/H) \otimes \Q. In the case that each ��_i admits a polynomial-polynomial area-radius pair, it will follow that H satisfies a polynomial isoperimetric inequality. As a corollary we obtain that if K is a subgroup of a direct product of n limit groups and if K is of type FP_m(\Q), where m = \max {2, n-1}, then K is finitely presented and satisfies a polynomial isoperimetric inequality. In particular, we obtain that all finitely presented subgroups of a direct product of at most 3 limit groups satisfy a polynomial isoperimetric inequality. We also prove that if B is a finitely presented Bestvina-Brady group, then B admits a quartic isoperimetric function.

75 pages, 11 figures. This is the author's PhD thesis