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Cited by 220Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic DiseasesAdipose Tissue and MetabolismCardiovascular Disease and Adiposity

Role of visceral adipose tissue in aging

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Huffman, Derek M., Barzilai, Nir·2009·Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects
DOI 10.1016/j.bbagen.2009.01.008PMC PMC2779572
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Abstract

Background Visceral fat (VF) accretion is a hallmark of aging in humans. Epidemiologic studies have implicated abdominal obesity as a major risk factor for insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and death.Methods Studies utilizing novel rodent models of visceral obesity and surgical strategies in humans have been undertaken to determine if subcutaneous (SC) abdominal or VF are causally linked to age-related diseases.Results Specific depletion or expansion of the VF depot using genetic or surgical tools in rodents has been shown to have direct effects on disease risk. In contrast, surgically removing large quantities of SC fat does not consistently improve metabolic parameters in humans or rodents, while benefits were observed with SC fat expansion in mice, suggesting that SC fat accrual is not an important contributor to metabolic decline. There is also compelling evidence in humans that abdominal obesity is a stronger risk factor for mortality risk than general obesity. Likewise, we have shown that surgical removal of VF improves mean and maximum lifespan in rats, providing the first causal evidence that VF depletion may be an important underlying cause of improved lifespan with caloric restriction.General significance This review provides both corollary and causal evidence for the importance of accounting for body fat distribution, and specifically VF, when assessing disease and mortality risk. Given the hazards of VF accumulation on health, treatment strategies aimed at selectively depleting VF should be considered as a viable tool to effectively reduce disease risk in humans.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.bbagen.2009.01.008

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  • Excess nutrients, chronic inflammatory state, high adiposity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and aging harm endoplasmic reticulum function in the liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue, inducing oxidative stress.

    “Excess nutrients (ingesting high fat and/or high glucose), chronic inflammatory state, high adiposity, IR, metabolic syndrome, and aging harm the ER function in the liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue, inducing Os [83, 91–95].”

    From The critical role of oxidative stress in sarcopenic obesity (2021) · cites this paper as [95]

  • In the early stages of metabolic dysregulation, insulin secretion is elevated to compensate for increased glycemia; the high amount of insulin produced by the pancreas requires the endoplasmic reticulum to guarantee correct folding, generating endoplasmic reticulum overload and dysfunction, unfolded protein response overactivation, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

    “In the early stages of metabolic dysregulation, insulin secretion is elevated to compensate for increased glycemia (hyperinsulinemia). The high amount of insulin produced by the pancreas requires that the ER guarantee the correct folding of the hormone, which generates an ER overload and dysfunction, an unfolded protein response (UPR) overactivation, Os, and inflammation [83, 91–95].”

    From The critical role of oxidative stress in sarcopenic obesity (2021) · cites this paper as [95]

  • With aging and obesity, especially abdominal obesity, insulin sensitivity gradually decreases in skeletal muscle and adipocytes, increasing serum glucose levels and promoting endoplasmic reticulum overload and oxidative stress.

    “Also, with aging and obesity (especially abdominal obesity), insulin sensitivity gradually decreases in skeletal muscle and adipocytes, increasing serum glucose levels and promoting ER overload and Os [83, 91–95].”

    From The critical role of oxidative stress in sarcopenic obesity (2021) · cites this paper as [95]

  • Visceral fat accumulation is associated with many age-related diseases and with fat accumulation in heart, liver and skeletal muscle, increasing risk for insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease.

    “Visceral fat accumulation is associated with many age-related diseases (Huffman and Barzilai, 2009) accompanied by the accumulation of fat in tissues such as the heart, liver and skeletal muscle which increases risk for insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease (Kuk et al., 2009).”

    From Mitochondrial Activity and Dynamics Changes Regarding Metabolism in Ageing and Obesity (2017) · cites this paper as Huffman and Barzilai, 2009

  • Visceral fat accumulation is associated with many age-related diseases, accompanied by fat accumulation in heart, liver and skeletal muscle, which increases risk for insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease.

    “Visceral fat accumulation is associated with many age-related diseases (Huffman and Barzilai, 2009) accompanied by the accumulation of fat in tissues such as the heart, liver and skeletal muscle which increases risk for insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease (Kuk et al., 2009).”

    From Mitochondrial Activity and Dynamics Changes Regarding Metabolism in Ageing and Obesity (2017) · cites this paper as Huffman and Barzilai, 2009

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  1. [61]Nutrition classics The American Journal of Cancer, Volume XXXVIII, March, 1940: The initiation and growth of tumors. Introduction. I. Effects of underfeeding. By Albert Tannenbaum Nutr Rev 45 1987 20 2 3547194

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Authors
Huffman, D. M., & Barzilai, N.
Affiliations
Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Barzilai, Nir
ORCID
Venue
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2009-10
Volume
1790
Issue
10
Pages
1117-1123
ISSN
0304-4165 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.bbagen.2009.01.008
PMC
PMC2779572
OpenAlex
W2082168176
Cited by
220
References
89
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 18
FWCI
1.96
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute on Aging (P01AG021654, AG 21654, AG18381, T32AG23475, R01AG018381, R37AG018381, T32AG023475)
  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK20541, P60DK020541, P30DK020541)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Disease and Adiposity
Keywords
visceral adipose tissue, aging, abdominal obesity, subcutaneous adipose tissue, body fat distribution, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, mortality risk, lifespan, caloric restriction, bariatric surgery, rodent models
MeSH terms
Aging, Alzheimer Disease, Animals, Cardiovascular Diseases, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Humans, Insulin Resistance, Models, Biological, Neoplasms, Intra-Abdominal Fat

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