Unhealthy fat distribution as a sex-specific predictor of declining hippocampus insulin sensitivity
Authors' conclusion
Unhealthy body fat distribution was a sex-dependent predictor for decreased hippocampal insulin sensitivity with increasing age. Older women with high abdominal fat and/or those assigned to high-risk clusters were most vulnerable to impaired insulin responsiveness in the hippocampus.
Study context
- Population
- Non-diabetic participants (165 women), mean BMI 29.7 ± 6.2 kg/m², mean age 44.2 ± 16.6 years165 women
- Participants
- 260 participants
- Outcome
- Hippocampal insulin response (functional MRI before and after intranasal insulin)
Methodological detailsfunctional MRI before and after intranasal insulin, linear regression models with sex and age interactions
- Functional MRI before and after intranasal insulin
- Linear regression models with sex and age interactions
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
FPG predicted lower hippocampal insulin response with age independently of sex (estimate, p=0.016)
0.533
Age × sex × WHR interaction (estimate, p=0.010)
0.233
Age × sex × visceral adipose tissue interaction (estimate, p=0.013)
0.007
Age × sex × intrahepatic lipid content interaction (estimate, p=0.010)
0.003
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Postmenopausal women: WHR and IHL
- Lower hippocampal insulin responsiveness with higher WHR and IHL (p<0.05)
Tübingen prediabetes clusters
- Women in high-risk clusters showed lower hippocampal insulin responsiveness than men (sex × cluster type estimate, p=0.02)
- 0.39
Hippocampal volume
- Hippocampal insulin response did not correlate with hippocampal volume (p>0.05)
Original publication
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