Abdominal Subcutaneous Fat: A Favorable or Nonfunctional Fat Depot for Glucose Metabolism in Chinese Adults?

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the associations of abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue with blood glucose and beta-cell function. Methods: In this study, 11,223 participants without known diabetes were selected for this cross-sectional analysis. Visceral and subcutaneous fat area (VFA and SFA) were measured by magnetic resonance imaging. An oral glucose tolerance test was conducted, and beta-cell function was evaluated. Results: Men had significantly larger VFA but smaller SFA than women. After controlling for age, linear regression showed that SFA was adversely associated with 0-minute, 30-minute, and 2-hour plasma glucose (PG) and early-, first- and second-phase disposition indices (DIs). After further adjustment for BMI and VFA, some associations of SFA with PG indices and DIs disappeared, while the other associations became significantly weaker in men (2-hour PG: 0.05 and DI2nd: −0.05) or were reversed in women (0-minute, 30-minute, and 2-hour PG: from −0.07 to −0.04; DI1st: 0.04, P < 0.05). After adjustment for age, BMI, and SFA, VFA was significantly and adversely associated with PG indices and DIs, with the largest standardized regression coefficients with 2-hour PG. Conclusions: The associations of SFA with blood glucose and beta-cell function were clinically insignificant in Chinese adults. VFA had the strongest association with 2-hour PG.