Higher Ratio of Abdominal Subcutaneous to Visceral Adipose Tissue Related with Preservation of Islet β-Cell Function in Healthy Individuals

Abstract

Objective To investigate the relationship between abdominal adipose tissue distribution, β-cell function, and insulin sensitivity (IS) in a Chinese population. Methods One hundred and eighty-eight healthy subjects (healthy group), 239 with normal glucose, and 1~4 abnormal metabolic traits (metabolic dysfunction group, MD group) and 125 with hyperglycemia (hyperglycemia group) were studied. HOMA-IR, HOMA-B, Matsuda index, early- (I0–30/G0–30) and late-phase (I30–120/G30–120) insulin responses and the corresponding disposition indexes (DI) were calculated. The area of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (ASAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was measured and the ratio of ASAT to VAT (SVR) was calculated. Results SVR was correlated positively with Matsuda index in healthy, MD, and hyperglycemia groups, and inversely with HOMA-IR. SVR positively related with both early- and late-phase DI in the healthy group only. In the healthy group, the hyperbolas of I0–30/G0–30 and I30–120/G30–120 versus Matsuda index in the highest quarter of SVR were significantly right shifted compared to those in the lowest (both P < 0.05). Conclusions In healthy adults, higher SVR was a protective factor for β-cell function and IS, while in those with glucometabolic abnormality, higher SVR contributed to a relative better IS, indicating SVR is possible to be an early predicator of type 2 diabetes development.

Unexpected Fat Distribution in Adolescents With Narcolepsy

“…Unexpectedly, we found that the relative VAT volume; VATR was significantly lower indicating a relative increase in ASAT. VATR has previously been found to be superior to VAT volume as a measure of VAT risk (59–61) and is typically measured by comparing the ratio of visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue, either from the thigh (62) or as presented in this paper, the abdomen (VATR) (63). A clinical study by Porter et al compared the metabolic and cardiovascular disease risk between people with either high or low VAT in conjunction with high or low volumes of subcutaneous adipose tissue.…”

Circulating betatrophin/ANGPTL8 levels correlate with body fat distribution in individuals with normal glucose tolerance but not those with glucose disorders

“…β cell function was assessed by homeostasis model assessment of β cell function (HOMA-β) [20]. Insulin resistance was estimated by index of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) [20], quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) [21] and the Matsuda insulin sensitivity index (Matsuda ISI) [21] Measurement of body fat distribution Measurement of abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat Participants were examined using abdominal coil magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; 3-Tesla whole-body scanner; SIEMENS 3.0 T MAGNETOM Verio; Siemens Healthcare Sector, Germany), as described previously [18,22]. The same radiologist performed all abdominal MRI scans.…”

PAPPA-mediated adipose tissue remodeling mitigates insulin resistance and protects against gestational diabetes in mice and humans

“…In the nonpregnant state, a direct mechanistic link between adipose tissue function and systemic glucose homeostasis is supported by numerous lines of evidence. These include a strong epidemiological correlation between subcutaneous adipose tissue size and mitigation of metabolic and cardiometabolic risk (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20), extreme insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in congenital and acquired lipodystrophies (21)(22)(23), mitigation of insulin resistance in mice by genetic expansion of subcutaneous adipose tissue (24)(25)(26)(27), and direct effects of adipose tissue on glycemic control (28)(29)(30)(31). All these lines of evidence converge on the notion that an impaired capacity of adipose tissue to retain lipids leads to systemic lipotoxicity and development of insulin resistance.…”