Contribution of Visceral Obesity to the Insulin Resistance Syndrome

Abstract

A high visceral adipose tissue accumulation has been associated with many metabolic perturbations typical of the insulin resistance syndrome, such as dyslipidemia, impaired glucose-insulin homeostasis, hypertension, and impaired fibrinolysis. It has been documented that male gender, aging, and a hyperglycemic state are conditions that increase the likelihood of displaying features of the insulin resistance syndrome. Accordingly, studies have demonstrated that the variation in visceral adipose tissue accumulation explains a significant proportion of the gender differences in the metabolic risk profile. Age-related differences in metabolic components of the insulin resistance syndrome have also been shown to be partly explained by the concomitant increase in visceral adipose tissue accumulation found with age. Studies have suggested that a high visceral adipose tissue accumulation contributes significantly to the deterioration in the plasma lipid-lipoprotein profile found in hyperglycemic subjects. Finally, it appears that the clustering of metabolic alterations of the insulin resistance syndrome is more pronounced in obese subjects with high levels of visceral fat than in those with a lower visceral adipose tissue accumulation. Key Words: abdominal fat, dyslipidemia, glucose-insulin homeostasis, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease