Gluteofemoral body fat as a determinant of metabolic health
Abstract
Body fat distribution is an important metabolic and cardiovascular risk factor, because the proportion of abdominal to gluteofemoral body fat correlates with obesity-associated diseases and mortality. Here, we review the evidence and possible mechanisms that support a specific protective role of gluteofemoral body fat. Population studies show that an increased gluteofemoral fat mass is independently associated with a protective lipid and glucose profile, as well as a decrease in cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Studies of adipose tissue physiology in vitro and in vivo confirm distinct properties of the gluteofemoral fat depot with regards to lipolysis and fatty acid uptake: in day-to-day metabolism it appears to be more passive than the abdominal depot and it exerts its protective properties by long-term fatty acid storage. Further, a beneficial adipokine profile is associated with gluteofemoral fat. Leptin and adiponectin levels are positively associated with gluteofemoral fat while the level of inflammatory cytokines is negatively associated. Finally, loss of gluteofemoral fat, as observed in Cushing's syndrome and lipodystrophy is associated with an increased metabolic and cardiovascular risk. This underlines gluteofemoral fat's role as a determinant of health by the long-term entrapment of excess fatty acids, thus protecting from the adverse effects associated with ectopic fat deposition.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Females typically have a gynoid fat distribution, where fat is stored around the hips and thighs, while males typically display an android form of fat distribution, where fat is stored around the waist.
“Females typically have a gynoid fat distribution, where fat is stored around the hips and thighs, while males typically display an android form of fat distribution, where fat is stored around the waist [49, 50].”
From Developmental programming of offspring adipose tissue biology and obesity risk (2021) · cites this paper as [50]
Cites
Positional cloning of the mouse obese gene and its human homologue
Zhang, Y., Proenca, R., Maffei, M., Barone, M., Leopold, L., & Friedman, J. M. (1994) · Nature · doi:10.1038/372425a0 · Cited by 13,419 · see citing works
A metalloproteinase disintegrin that releases tumour-necrosis factor-α from cells
Black, R. A., Rauch, C. T., Kozlosky, C. J., Peschon, J. J., Slack, J. L., Wolfson, M. F., Castner, B. J., Stocking, K. L., Reddy, P., Srinivasan, S., et al. (1997) · Nature · doi:10.1038/385729a0 · Cited by 3,149 · see citing works
Yusuf, S., Hawken, S., Ôunpuu, S., Bautista, L., Franzosi, M. G., Commerford, P., Lang, C. C., Rumboldt, Z., Onen, C. L., Lisheng, L., et al. (2005) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(05)67663-5 · Cited by 2,903 · see citing works
Miyazaki, Y., Mahankali, A., Matsuda, M., Mahankali, S., Hardies, J., Cusi, K., Mandarino, L. J., & DeFronzo, R. A. (2002) · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · doi:10.1210/jcem.87.6.8567 · Cited by 726 · see citing works
Canoy, D., Boekholdt, S. M., Wareham, N., Luben, R., Welch, A., Bingham, S., Buchan, I., Day, N., & Khaw, K.-T. (2007) · Circulation · doi:10.1161/circulationaha.106.673756 · Cited by 472 · see citing works
Hayashi, T., Boyko, E. J., McNeely, M. J., Leonetti, D. L., Kahn, S. E., & Fujimoto, W. Y. (2008) · Diabetes · doi:10.2337/db07-1378 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Leptin in humans: lessons from translational research
Blüher, S., & Mantzoros, C. S. (2009) · The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.3945/ajcn.2008.26788e · Cited by 203 · see citing works
Dexamethasone increases leptin expression in humans in vivo
Papaspyrou-Rao, S., Schneider, S. H., Petersen, R. N., & Fried, S. K. (1997) · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · doi:10.1210/jcem.82.5.3928 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Horowitz, J. F., & Klein, S. (2000) · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · doi:10.1152/ajpendo.2000.278.6.e1144 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Samra, J. S., Clark, M. L., Humphreys, S. M., MacDonald, I. A., Bannister, P. A., & Frayn, K. N. (1998) · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · doi:10.1210/jcem.83.2.4547 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Self-citationEffects of insulin on adipose tissue blood flow in man
Karpe, F., Fielding, B. A., Ardilouze, J., Ilic, V., Macdonald, I. A., & Frayn, K. N. (2002) · The Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2001.013358 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Self-citationKoutsari, C., Snozek, C. L. H., & Jensen, M. D. (2008) · Diabetologia · doi:10.1007/s00125-008-1126-5 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Chait, A., & den Hartigh, L. J. (2020) · Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine · doi:10.3389/fcvm.2020.00022 · Cited by 1,529 · see citing works
Why does obesity cause diabetes?
Klein, S., Gastaldelli, A., Yki-Järvinen, H., & Scherer, P. E. (2022) · Cell Metabolism · doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2021.12.012 · Cited by 939 · see citing works
Neeland, I. J., Poirier, P., & Després, J.-P. (2018) · Circulation · doi:10.1161/circulationaha.117.029617 · Cited by 881 · see citing works
Piché, M.-E., Poirier, P., Lemieux, I., & Després, J.-P. (2018) · Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases · doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2018.06.004 · Cited by 558 · see citing works
European Practical and Patient-Centred Guidelines for Adult Obesity Management in Primary Care
Durrer Schutz, D., Busetto, L., Dicker, D., Farpour-Lambert, N., Pryke, R., Toplak, H., Widmer, D., Yumuk, V., & Schutz, Y. (2019) · Obesity Facts · doi:10.1159/000496183 · Cited by 492 · see citing works
Metabolically healthy versus metabolically unhealthy obesity
Iacobini, C., Pugliese, G., Blasetti Fantauzzi, C., Federici, M., & Menini, S. (2019) · Metabolism · doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2018.11.009 · Cited by 453 · see citing works
The Gut Microbiota and Unhealthy Aging: Disentangling Cause from Consequence
DeJong, E. N., Surette, M. G., & Bowdish, D. M. E. (2020) · Cell Host & Microbe · doi:10.1016/j.chom.2020.07.013 · Cited by 370 · see citing works
The adipose tissue microenvironment regulates depot-specific adipogenesis in obesity
Jeffery, E., Wing, A., Holtrup, B., Sebo, Z., Kaplan, J. L., Saavedra-Peña, R., Church, C. D., Colman, L., Berry, R., & Rodeheffer, M. S. (2016) · Cell Metabolism · doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2016.05.012 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Mechanick, J. I., Hurley, D. L., & Garvey, W. T. (2017) · Endocrine Practice · doi:10.4158/ep161688.ps · Cited by 320 · see citing works
DXA: Technical aspects and application
Bazzocchi, A., Ponti, F., Albisinni, U., Battista, G., & Guglielmi, G. (2016) · European Journal of Radiology · doi:10.1016/j.ejrad.2016.04.004 · Cited by 279 · see citing works
Cardiometabolic-Based Chronic Disease, Adiposity and Dysglycemia Drivers
Mechanick, J. I., Farkouh, M. E., Newman, J. D., & Garvey, W. T. (2020) · Journal of the American College of Cardiology · doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2019.11.044 · Cited by 243 · see citing works
McAuley, P. A., & Blair, S. N. (2011) · Journal of Sports Sciences · doi:10.1080/02640414.2011.553965 · Cited by 170 · see citing works
Adipose tissue hyperplasia and hypertrophy in common and syndromic obesity-the case of BBS obesity
Horwitz, A., & Birk, R. (2023) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu15153445 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
“The accumulation of fat in the visceral adipose depot and subcutaneous abdominal depot confers a higher risk of developing T2D and cardiovascular disease, while the accumulation of subcutaneous gluteal and subcutaneous femoral fat may be metabolically protective [59,63,64].”
BackgroundSantanasto, A. J., Glynn, N. W., Newman, M. A., Taylor, C. A., Brooks, M. M., Goodpaster, B. H., & Newman, A. B. (2011) · Journal of Obesity · doi:10.1155/2011/516576 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Abildgaard, J., Ploug, T., Al-Saoudi, E., Wagner, T., Thomsen, C., Ewertsen, C., Bzorek, M., Pedersen, B. K., Pedersen, A. T., & Lindegaard, B. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-94189-2 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Kahn, D., Macias, E., Zarini, S., Garfield, A., Zemski Berry, K., MacLean, P., Gerszten, R. E., Libby, A., Solt, C., Schoen, J., et al. (2022) · Endocrinology · doi:10.1210/endocr/bqac140 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Testosterone therapy decreases subcutaneous fat and adiponectin in aging men
Frederiksen, L., Højlund, K., Hougaard, D. M., Mosbech, T. H., Larsen, R., Flyvbjerg, A., Frystyk, J., Brixen, K., & Andersen, M. (2012) · European Journal of Endocrinology · doi:10.1530/eje-11-0565 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
The pathophysiology of abdominal adipose tissue depots in health and disease
Walker, G. E., Marzullo, P., Ricotti, R., Bona, G., & Prodam, F. (2014) · Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation · doi:10.1515/hmbci-2014-0023 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Management of Obesity in Cardiovascular Practice
Després, J.-P., Carpentier, A. C., Tchernof, A., Neeland, I. J., & Poirier, P. (2021) · Journal of the American College of Cardiology · doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2021.05.035 · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Obesity associated disease risk: the role of inherent differences and location of adipose depots
Hill, J. H., Solt, C., & Foster, M. T. (2018) · Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation · doi:10.1515/hmbci-2018-0012 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Estradiol signaling mediates gender difference in visceral adiposity via autophagy
Tao, Z., Zheng, L. D., Smith, C., Luo, J., Robinson, A., Almeida, F. A., Wang, Z., Olumi, A. F., Liu, D., & Cheng, Z. (2018) · Cell Death & Disease · doi:10.1038/s41419-018-0372-9 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Gavin, K. M., Cooper, E. E., & Hickner, R. C. (2013) · Metabolism · doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2013.02.010 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Free Fatty Acid Storage in Human Visceral and Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue
Ali, A. H., Koutsari, C., Mundi, M., Stegall, M. D., Heimbach, J. K., Taler, S. J., Nygren, J., Thorell, A., Bogachus, L. D., Turcotte, L. P., et al. (2011) · Diabetes · doi:10.2337/db11-0219 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Developmental programming of offspring adipose tissue biology and obesity risk
Rodgers, A., & Sferruzzi-Perri, A. N. (2021) · International Journal of Obesity · doi:10.1038/s41366-021-00790-w · Cited by 57 · see citing works
- Authors
- Manolopoulos, K. N., Karpe, F., & Frayn, K. N.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Churchill Hospital (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Manolopoulos, K N
- Venue
- International Journal of Obesity
- Published
- 2010-01-12
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 949-959
- ISSN
- 0307-0565 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-5497
- OpenAlex
- W2013033239
- Cited by
- 811
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 47 · 2025: 68 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 58 · 2022: 57 · 2021: 67 · 2020: 50 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 54 · 2017: 43 · 2016: 45 · 2015: 36 · 2014: 44 · 2013: 55 · 2012: 37
- FWCI
- 5.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- International Journal of Obesity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Birmingham Research Portal (University of Birmingham) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Disease and Adiposity
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Keywords
- body fat distribution, metabolic health, cardiovascular risk, abdominal fat, adipose tissue physiology, lipolysis, fatty acid uptake, fatty acid storage, adipokines, leptin, adiponectin, inflammatory cytokines, Cushing's syndrome, lipodystrophy, ectopic fat deposition, lipid profile, glucose metabolism
- MeSH terms
- Adipose Tissue, Adult, Aged, Buttocks, Cardiovascular Diseases, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Risk Factors, Thigh, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, Health Behavior, Leptin, Body Fat Distribution, Adipokines
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
