Body Fat Distribution, Fasting Insulin Levels, and Insulin Secretion: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors' conclusion
Although these results will need to be supported by experimental investigations, results of this MR study suggest that abdominal adiposity may be a key determinant of circulating insulin levels. Alternatively, insulin secretion may promote peripheral adipose tissue accumulation.
Study context
- Population
- Summary statistics from large-scale GWAS: Body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio adjusted for BMI (WHRadjBMI), abdominal subcutaneous, visceral and gluteofemoral adipose tissue, fasting insulin (FI) levels, pancreatic islets gene expression, hypothalamus gene expressionGWAS summary statistics · BMI 806,834 · WHRadjBMI 694,649 · gluteofemoral adipose tissue 38,965 · FI levels 98,210 · pancreatic islets gene expression 420 · hypothalamus gene expression 155
- Comparison
- Body fat accumulation/distribution vs fasting insulin levels
- Outcome
- Direction of causal effects between fasting insulin levels and body fat accumulation/distribution
Methodological detailsinverse variance-weighted and robust Mendelian randomization (MR) methods, multivariable MR, statistically and biologically driven genetic instruments
- Inverse variance-weighted and robust MR methods
- Multivariable MR
- Statistically and biologically driven genetic instruments
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Multivariable MR (waist circumference and BMI mutually adjusted): direct effect of waist circumference on FI vs effect of BMI on FI
2.43 times larger
Original publication
Body Fat Distribution, Fasting Insulin Levels, and Insulin Secretion: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Published 31 December 2022. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →