Research

Hormonal

Subcutaneous truncal abdominal adipose tissue is a major contributor to insulin resistance, potentially more so than visceral fat, due to its larger volume and capacity to drive systemic free fatty acid flux.

Focus on reducing overall body fat, particularly in the abdominal area, as subcutaneous fat plays a significant role in insulin resistance. While visceral fat is important, the sheer volume of subcutaneous abdominal fat can drive metabolic issues through free fatty acid release. Maintaining a healthy weight and engaging in lifestyle changes can improve adipose tissue function and reduce insulin resistance.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
We concluded that subcutaneous truncal fat plays a major role in obesity related insulin resistance in comparison to visceral or retroperitoneal fat.
Pavankumar Patel et al. · Nutrients · 2013

Why this rating

Based on multiple clinical studies and longitudinal data cited in a review.

Source

Body Fat Distribution and Insulin Resistance

Pavankumar Patel et al. · Nutrients · 2013

DOI 10.3390/nu5062019

narrative_reviewCited 362×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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