title: Relationship of body fat topography to insulin sensitivity and metabolic profiles in premenopausal women.
abstract: The relationship of body fat distribution to metabolic profiles was determined in 80 healthy premenopausal white women of a wide range of obesity levels [percentage of ideal body weight (% IBW) 92-251]. Distribution of fat between the upper and lower body was assessed from the waist/hips girth ratio (WHR), which varied from 0.64 to 1.02. In 23 women, in vivo insulin sensitivity was also determined from the steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) level at comparable insulin levels of approximately 100 microU/mL attained by the intravenous infusion of somatostatin, glucose, and insulin. Increasing WHR was accompanied by progressively increasing fasting plasma insulin levels (r = 0.47, P less than 0.001), insulin and glucose areas after glucose challenge (r = 0.53, P less than 0.001; r = 0.50, P less than 0.001, respectively) and fasting plasma triglyceride concentrations (r = 0.48, P less than 0.001). Obesity level was similarly correlated with these metabolic indices. Partial and multiple regression analysis and analysis of variance with a linear contrast model revealed that the effects of body fat topography were independent of, and additive to, those of obesity level. Within obese subjects alone (%IBW: 130), %IBW had no predictive value, but WHR remained a significant predictor of plasma glucose, insulin, and triglyceride concentrations. The WHR also correlated with the plasma cholesterol level, but this association was largely dependent on its relationship to %IBW. Both WHR and %IBW correlated with the insulin resistance index, SSPG (r = 0.60, P less than 0.01; r = 0.61, P less than 0.01, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008660:Metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol