Key result
Metabolically obese normal-weight women exhibited visceral adipocyte hypertrophy, while metabolically healthy obese women had smaller adipocytes compared to at-risk obese women.
Why the study?
Do morphological characteristics of abdominal adipose tissue differ between normal-weight and obese women based on their metabolic profiles?
Cross-Sectional (n=50)
Do morphological characteristics of abdominal adipose tissue differ between normal-weight and obese women based on their metabolic profiles?
Changes in adipocyte size and vascular density correlate with metabolic disorders regardless of nutritional level, suggesting limited capacity for fat deposition and response to hypoxia.
Adipocyte morphology may associate with metabolic status independent of BMI; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Morphological changes in adipose tissue reflect functional disorders that correlate with cardiometabolic complications of obesity. The metabolic risks vary among the obese individuals. Furthermore, normal-weight individuals are not necessarily metabolically healthy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze morphological characteristics of the abdominal adipose tissue in normal-weight and obese individuals in regards to metabolic risks. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study group consisted of 30 overweight or obese and 20 normal-weight women undergoing elective surgery. Women of each group were divided into metabolically healthy and metabolically obese, based on the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), triglyceride, total-, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol levels. The size and numerical density of adipocytes, as well as volume density of blood vessels in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue were compared among subgroups. The results showed hypertrophy of adipocytes of visceral adipose tissue in metabolically obese normal-weight women. At the same time, metabolically healthy obese women had smaller adipocytes in both depots in comparison with "at risk" obese women. The lowest volume density of blood vessels correlated with the largest diameter of adipocytes in "at risk" obese women indicating hypoxic changes in visceral adipose tissue. The observed differences of the adipose tissue morphology did not correlate with considerable phenotypic differences within either the normal-weight or obese women group. CONCLUSION: Changes in adipocyte size, cellular and vascular density of adipose tissue in relation with metabolic disorders, regardless of nutritional level, suggest limited capacity of fat deposition and adipose tissue response to hypoxia.
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Srdić et al. (2010) conducted a cross-sectional in Obesity and metabolic syndrome (n=50). Metabolic obesity vs. Metabolically healthy status was evaluated on Size and numerical density of adipocytes, and volume density of blood vessels in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue. Metabolically obese normal-weight women exhibited visceral adipocyte hypertrophy, while metabolically healthy obese women had smaller adipocytes compared to at-risk obese women.
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