Facial fat and its relationship to abdominal fat: a marker for insulin resistance?
Reports of relationships between measures of insulin sensitivity and measures of body fat and fat distribution suggest that abdominal fat accumulation is a predictor of insulin resistance. It has been previously suggested that facial fat (primarily in the cheeks and neck) is strongly associated with visceral abdominal fat accumulation. The facial fat is a rich vascular region, that seems to be metabolically active and resembles abdominal white adipose tissue. We, therefore, hypothesize that facial fat could be a good predictor of insulin resistance. Whether facial fat can be used as an accurate marker for insulin resistance remains to be determined.
Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Foundation, The Cardiovascular Health Clinic, Rochester MN, USA.
Justo
J
Sierra-Johnson
Bruce D
BD
Johnson
D000005:Abdomen / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015415:Biomarkers; D001824:Body Constitution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005145:Face / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic
D015415:Biomarkers