According to new research, accumulated fat under the skin, or subcutaneous, particularly in these parts of the body, could help reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes.
For a long time it has been known that this disease is related to obesity.In particular, the risk of diabetes II is linked to the so -called visceral fat, located in the abdominal area and that surrounds the body organs.
But scientists from the Harvard School of Medicine and the Joslin Diabetes Center, in the United States, claim that subcutaneous fat - the one found in hips and thighs - can reduce insulin levels and improve sensitivity to this hormone.
"These results could lead to the search for substances composed of subcutaneous fat that can be beneficial for glucose metabolism," says Dr. Ronald Kahn, one of the authors of the study published in Cell Metabolism (cellular metabolism).
Apple body?
On average, between 80 and 90 percent of body fat is subcutaneous, and the remaining 10 or 20 percent is visceral fat.According to the authors, obesity in the abdominal or visceral area - the classic "beer belly" or apple -shaped body - increases the risk of diabetes and mortality.
And it is believed that obesity in subcutaneous areas (pear -shaped body) can reduce these risks.To verify that theory, in the study carried out with mice the scientists transplanted fat from one part of the body of animals to another.
When the subcutaneous fat was removed and placed in the abdominal area, a decrease in weight, fat mass and blood glucose levels were recorded.Animals also became more insulin sensitive, the hormone that controls the way the body uses sugar.
It is believed that the first stage of type II diabetes begins when the body's response begins to fail.But when the researchers removed abdominal fat and injected it into other parts of the body no effect was recorded.
The authors conclude that subcutaneous fat is intrinsically different from visceral fat and it perhaps produces substances that improve glucose metabolism.
Compensation
According to Professor Kahn "the most surprising thing was to discover that the most important variant is not where fat is located, but the type of fat.""And even more surprising is the fact that it is not that abdominal fat is exerting negative effects, but that subcutaneous fat is producing good effects," he adds.
According to the authors it is possible that subcutaneous fat compensates for the effects of visceral fat.And they believe that subcutaneous fat perhaps produces certain hormones, called adipokines, which produce beneficial effects on metabolism.
If so, experts claim, a new way to analyze if the overweight and obesity of people are "healthy or harmful."The current body mass index does not differentiate between the two types of fat and all the weight exceeding the established levels is considered harmful.
But experts underline that it is important that people continue to control their body weight with a healthy diet and exercise, since they have a very important impact on visceral fat levels.
The study authors will now try to identify how adipokin production is carried out in subcutaneous fat.And once this process is identified, find a way to produce these substances to create a drug capable of carrying out the same function.
Source: BBC Science
