Women and men have similar amounts of liver and intra-abdominal fat, despite more subcutaneous fat in women: implications for sex differences in markers of cardiovascular risk

Westerbacka, Jukka; Corner, A. H.; Tiikkainen, Mirja; Tamminen, Marjo; Vehkavaara, Satu; Häkkinen, A-M.; Fredriksson, Jenny; Yki‐Järvinen, Hannele

doi:10.1007/s00125-004-1460-1

Cited by 284 publications

(237 citation statements)

References 76 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

213

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, in the current study, GGT did not show potential association with carotid IMT in both genders in bivariate analyses, and the tendency of carotid IMT to increase with increasing quartiles of GGT concentrations was observed only in women (0.65 AE 0.19 mm, 0.66 AE 0.12 mm, 0.68 AE 0.15 mm, vs. 0.69 AE 0.14 mm; P for trend = 0.055). It should be emphasized that the correlation between GGT and liver fat content is even weaker than between ALT and liver fat content [8].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Normal range of alanine aminotransferase concentration is associated with carotid atherosclerosis

Kim¹,

Kim²,

Kim³

et al. 2010

Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Because alanine aminotransferase (ALT) appears to be the best marker of liver fat accumulation [8], ALT has been used as a marker of NAFLD in epidemiologic studies. Increased ALT concentrations are considered to be a risk factor strongly associated with coronary artery disease and metabolic disease [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Normal range of alanine aminotransferase concentration is associated with carotid atherosclerosis

Kim¹,

Kim²,

Kim³

et al. 2010

Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Another limitation is the use of ALT as a biomarker of liver fat, which is only moderately correlated with liver fat content (correlation coefficients ranging from 0.4 [17] to 0.6 [18]) and not a more direct measure of liver fat such as that obtained from proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A modified Mediterranean diet is associated with the greatest reduction in alanine aminotransferase levels in obese type 2 diabetes patients: results of a quasi-randomised controlled trial

et al. 2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim The aim of the study was to compare the effect of different dietary interventions on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in obese patients with diabetes. Methods A post hoc analysis of an open label, parallel design, quasi-randomised (allocation by alternation), controlled trial, conducted in Israel. Obese patients with diabetes (n=259), treated in the community, were centrally allocated to one of three diets: (1) the 2003 recommended American Diabetes Association diet (ADA): 50-55% carbohydrate, 30% fat and 20% protein, n=85; (2) a low glycaemic index (LGI) diet: 50-55% LGI carbohydrate, 30% fat, 15-20% protein, n = 89; or (3) a modified Mediterranean diet (MMD): 35% LGI carbohydrate, 45% fat that was high in monounsaturated fat, 15-20% protein, n=85. ALT was measured at 6 and 12 months. Results ALT levels decreased in all arms; however, the MMD was associated with the lowest ALT levels at month 6 (n=201: ADA n=64, LGI n=73, MMD n=64) and month 12 of follow-up (n=179). At 12 months mean ALT levels were 19.8±1.4 U/l in the ADA diet arm (n=54), 18.0±1.5 U/l in the LGI diet arm (n=64) and 14.4±1.7 in the MMD arm (n=61, p<0.001). Evidence for an effect of diet on ALT levels persisted when controlling for post-randomisation changes in waist to hip ratio, BMI, homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) or triacylglycerol. Conclusions A Mediterranean diet may have a beneficial effect on liver steatosis in obese patients with diabetes. Results of trials assessing the effect of dietary composition on clinical outcomes should be awaited before a decisive conclusion can be reached. In addition to clinical outcomes, such studies should address the issue of primary prevention of steatosis in high-risk and healthy individuals.

show abstract

“…Visceral and subcutaneous fat both contribute to waist circumference, and women carry more subcutaneous fat than men for a given amount of visceral fat. 28 In addition, removal of subcutaneous abdominal fat has little impact on insulin resistance 29 suggesting that its contribution to insulin resistance is small. Given these observations, one would expect that for any given waist circumference, women should be less insulin resistant than men.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The gender insulin hypothesis: why girls are born lighter than boys, and the implications for insulin resistance

Wilkin

Murphy

2006

Int J Obes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Girls are born lighter than boys. The consistency of this observation across different populations is striking, suggesting that it may have fundamental significance for those conditions linked with lower birth weight, such as diabetes. Previous hypotheses relating low birth weight to subsequent diabetes have addressed differences in insulin resistance within the sexes, not between them. Here, we propose that gender-specific genes affecting insulin sensitivity are responsible for the gender difference in birth weight -the genetically more insulin resistant female fetus is less responsive to the trophic effects of insulin and is therefore smaller. These genes also render female subjects more susceptible to diabetes, explaining why reports of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in younger populations show a female preponderance. Consistent with our proposal, concentrations of insulin and/or its propeptides are higher at birth in female populations and they are intrinsically more insulin resistant throughout life, with attendant impact on their metabolism, and the regressions describing the relationship between insulin resistance and adiposity in female and male subjects have similar gradients, but different constants. These gender-specific genes have a demonstrable impact on fetal growth and insulin resistance. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease are thought to be driven by insulin resistance, and the observations reported here may help to focus the search for genes that control it.

show abstract

Women and men have similar amounts of liver and intra-abdominal fat, despite more subcutaneous fat in women: implications for sex differences in markers of cardiovascular risk

Cited by 284 publications

References 76 publications

Normal range of alanine aminotransferase concentration is associated with carotid atherosclerosis

Normal range of alanine aminotransferase concentration is associated with carotid atherosclerosis

A modified Mediterranean diet is associated with the greatest reduction in alanine aminotransferase levels in obese type 2 diabetes patients: results of a quasi-randomised controlled trial

The gender insulin hypothesis: why girls are born lighter than boys, and the implications for insulin resistance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About