Research
Macro partitioning
Age-related insulin resistance in older adults is primarily driven by increased visceral adiposity and central fat distribution rather than aging itself, as accounting for body fat and distribution eliminates age as a predictor of insulin action.
Focus on maintaining a healthy body weight and minimizing visceral fat through diet and exercise. This is more critical for metabolic health in older age than simply accepting 'aging' as the cause of metabolic issues.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
Although insulin resistance with respect to glucose metabolism was once thought to be primarily an effect of aging, it is now known that the greater amounts of body fat (81) and particularly visceral fat (82) are much better predictors of insulin resistance than is age. In fact, after accounting for body fat and fat distribution, age and fitness do not predict insulin action with respect to glucose metabolism (82).
Why this rating
Based on multiple cross-sectional and longitudinal human studies cited (refs 81, 82), though observational in nature.
Source
Metabolic changes in aging humans: current evidence and therapeutic strategies
Allyson K. Palmer et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2022
DOI 10.1172/jci158451
narrative_reviewCited 300×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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