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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #144615
Title: ABDOMINAL OBESITY, MUSCLE COMPOSITION, AND INSULIN RESISTANCE IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Author
item ROSS, ROBERT - QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY
item FREEMAN, JENNIFER - QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY
item HUDSON, ROBERT - QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY
item JANSSEN, IAN - HNRCA

Submitted to: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/5/2002
Publication Date: 11/1/2002
Citation: Ross, R., Freeman, J., Hudson, R., Janssen, I. 2002. Abdominal obesity, muscle composition, and insulin resistance in premenopausal women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 87(11): 5044-5051.

Interpretive Summary: The relationships between visceral fat, abdominal subcutaneous fat, skeletal muscle composition, and insulin sensitivity were examined in 40 overweight premenopausal women. Insulin sensitivity was negatively related to visceral fat. Neither total fat, abdominal subcutaneous fat, or muscle composition were independently related to insulin sensitivity. Further analysis matched two groups of women for abdominal subcutaneous fat, but low and high visceral fat. Women with high visceral fat had lower insulin sensitivity compared to those with low visceral fat. In conclusion, visceral fat alone is a strong independent correlate of insulin resistance.

Technical Abstract: The independent relationships between visceral and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) depots, muscle composition, and insulin sensitivity were examined in 40 abdominally obese, premenopausal women. Measurements included glucose disposal by euglycemic clamp, muscle composition by computed tomography, abdominal and non-abdominal (e.g., leg) AT by magnetic resonance imaging and cardiovascular fitness. Glucose disposal rates were negatively related to visceral AT mass (r = -0.42, P < 0.01). These observations remained significant (P < 0.01) after control for non-abdominal and abdominal subcutaneous AT, muscle attenuation, and peak VO2. Neither total, abdominal, or leg subcutaneous AT, or muscle attenuation were significantly (P > 0.10) related to glucose disposal. Subdivision of abdominal subcutaneous AT into anterior and posterior depots did not alter the observed relationships. Further analysis matched two groups of women for abdominal subcutaneous AT, but low and high visceral AT. Women with high visceral AT had lower glucose disposal rates compared to those with low visceral AT (P < 0.05). A similar analysis performed on two groups of women matched for visceral AT, but high and low abdominal subcutaneous AT, revealed no statistically different values for insulin sensitivity (P > 0.10). In conclusion, visceral AT alone is a strong correlate of insulin resistance independent of non-abdominal, abdominal subcutaneous AT, muscle composition, and cardiovascular fitness. Subdivision of abdominal subcutaneous AT did not provide additional insight into the relationship between abdominal obesity and metabolic risk.