Research
Hormonal
Glucocorticoids promote adipocyte differentiation and increase adipocyte size, particularly in visceral and subcutaneous depots, contributing to fat redistribution in Cushing's syndrome.
Chronic steroid exposure changes how fat cells grow and multiply, especially in the belly. This is not just about eating more; the hormones actively encourage fat storage cells to form and expand in specific areas.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Glucocorticoids promote the differentiation of pre-adipocytes into mature adipocytes... individuals with Cushing’s syndrome have an approximately two- and fivefold increase in s.c. and intra-abdominal (visceral) fat respectively
Why this rating
Supported by histological studies of adipose tissue from Cushing's patients and rodent models.
Source
Glucocorticoids and fatty acid metabolism in humans: fuelling fat redistribution in the metabolic syndrome
David P. Macfarlane et al. · Journal of Endocrinology · 2008
DOI 10.1677/joe-08-0054
narrative_reviewCited 383×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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