Research
Hormonal
Adipose tissue acts as an endocrine organ, secreting hormones like leptin and cytokines like TNF-alpha, which directly impair insulin signaling in peripheral tissues.
Understand that fat tissue is biologically active. Reducing fat mass helps by reducing the secretion of harmful hormones and cytokines, thereby improving insulin sensitivity.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Adipocytes express and secrete numerous peptide hormones and cytokines, including TNF-a... and leptin... Through such secreted products, adipocytes possess the capacity to influence... systemic metabolism.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies cited, including animal models and human data, though some details remain 'uncertain'.
Source
Obesity and insulin resistance
Barbara B. Kahn et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2000
DOI 10.1172/jci10842
narrative_reviewCited 3,214×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Obesity causes insulin resistance primarily through the expansion of adipose tissue mass, which acts as an endocrine organ secreting factors like TNF-alpha, FFAs, and leptin that impair insulin signaling in muscle and liver.Good
- Central (intra-abdominal) fat is significantly more strongly linked to insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease than peripheral (gluteal/subcutaneous) fat.Good
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