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.
Sierra-Johnson
Justo
J
Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Foundation, The Cardiovascular Health Clinic, Rochester MN, USA.
Johnson
Bruce D
BD
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