Fat tissue link to insulin resistance
Thursday November 17th, 2016
Researchers have discovered that a central element in the development of insulin resistance is a failure in the body's ability to store excess fat safely.
The team, from Cambridge University, UK, explored some people become
insulin resistant when they are overweight, while others do not.
Dr Luca Lotta and colleagues examined more than two million genetic variants in almost 200,000 people, searching for links to insulin resistance. They found 53 regions of the genome that are linked to insulin resistance and higher risk of diabetes and heart disease.
A follow-up study was then carried out of over 12,000 people, involving body scans to show fat deposits in different regions of the body. This led the team to discover that those with a greater number of the 53 genetic variants tended to have less fat under the skin, particularly in the lower half of the body.
There was also an association between having more of the 53 genetic risk variants and suffering from a severe form of insulin resistance known as familial partial lipodystrophy type 1, which involves loss of fat tissue in the arms and legs.
In an article published in Nature Genetics, the team state: "Insulin resistance is a key mediator of obesity-related cardiometabolic disease, yet the mechanisms underlying this link remain obscure.
"Our findings support the notion that limited storage capacity of peripheral adipose tissue is an important aetiological component in insulin-resistant cardiometabolic disease and highlight genes and mechanisms underpinning this link."
Dr Lotta adds: "We've long suspected that problems with fat storage might lead to its accumulation in other organs such as the liver. Our results highlight the important biological role of peripheral fat tissue as a deposit of the surplus of energy due to overeating and lack of physical exercise."
Lotta, L. A. et al. Integrative genomic analysis implicates limited peripheral adipose storage capacity in the pathogenesis of human insulin resistance. Nature Genetics 14 November 2016; doi: 10.1038/ng.3714
Tags: Diabetes | Diet & Food | Heart Health | UK News
Printer friendly page