Research
Hormonal
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) exhibits higher rates of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and more rapid insulin signaling activation compared to subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), which may contribute to its distinct metabolic impact.
Not all fat is the same. Visceral fat (around organs) is more metabolically active and responsive to insulin than subcutaneous fat (under the skin), which may explain why visceral fat accumulation is more strongly linked to metabolic risks.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Interestingly, glucose uptake displays significant differences between subcutaneous AT (SAT) and visceral AT (VAT) in humans... showing that VAT has higher rates of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake than SAT, both in lean and obese subjects [5]. In line with this concept, insulin signaling is more rapidly and prominently activated in VAT than SAT in humans [1,6].
Why this rating
Cites PET studies and human data, providing strong observational evidence.
Source
Insulin and Insulin Receptors in Adipose Tissue Development
Angelo Cignarelli et al. · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2019
DOI 10.3390/ijms20030759
narrative_reviewCited 213×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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