Abdominal obesity is associated with insulin resistance.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia may account for many of the medical complications of obesity. This study was performed to determine whether a predominance of body fat in the abdominal region is associated with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. METHODS: Two groups of nine obese women were matched for age and total obesity but differed significantly in the pattern of fat distribution as defined by the waist-to-hip circumference ratio (WHR). The high-WHR group had a WHR of 0.87 (+/- 0.01), and the low-WHR group had WHR of 0.77 (+/- 0.02) (P < .05). RESULTS: Plasma levels of glucose, free fatty acids, and insulin, measured hourly for eight hours while the subjects consumed a diet of regular food, were higher in the high-WHR group. CONCLUSION: The high-WHR group (abdominal obesity) was more resistant to the action of insulin. These results suggest that measurement of the WHR could help define the degree of medical risk for a given obese patient seeking treatment.