The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in obese women with different patterns of body fat distribution
Abstract
To investigate whether obese subjects with abdominal obesity may be characterized by hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, we examined two groups of obese women with a waist to hip ratio (WHR) lower than 0.80 (n = 13), therefore having peripheral body fat distribution (P-BFD), or a WHR higher than 0.85 (n = 12), thus having abdominal body fat distribution (A-BFD). A group of seven normal weight healthy women served as controls. All subjects underwent the following protocol study that included 1) measurement of daily urinary free cortisol excretion rate; 2) a CRF test (human CRF, 1 microgram/kg BW, as iv bolus), with blood samples taken at regular intervals for ACTH and cortisol determination; and 3) an ACTH test, performed by administering two boli of ACTH (Synacthen, 0.2 microgram/kg BW, iv), at 90-min intervals, with blood samples taken for cortisol determination. Each woman also had a control saline study. Basal levels of both ACTH and cortisol rose significantly after CRF administration in all groups, but this increase was significantly higher in A-BFD than in P-BFD and control women. A significant correlation was found between the incremental area of cortisol and that of ACTH during the CRF test (r = 0.502), but not between these parameters and WHR values. Although the cortisol increase after the ACTH test was higher in A-BFD than in the other groups, these differences were only significant at 60 min during the test and when the analysis for repeated…
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Hyperactivity of the HPA axis and hyperinsulinemia are frequently observed in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and in patients with abdominal adiposity.
“Hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in association with hyperinsulinemia is frequently found in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus and in subjects with abdominal adiposity.”
From Supraphysiological Hyperinsulinemia Acutely Increases Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Secretory Activity in Humans (1999) · cites this paper as [8]
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- Authors
- Pasquali, R., Cantobelli, S., Casimirri, F., Capelli, M., Bortoluzzi, L., Flamia, R., Labate, A. M., & Barbara, L.
- Affiliations
- IRCCS Azienda Ospedliero-Universitaria di Bologna Policlinico di Sant'Orsola (IT)
- Venue
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
- Publisher
- The Endocrine Society
- Published
- 1993-08
- Volume
- 77
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 341-346
- ISSN
- 0021-972X (ISSN-L)
- 1945-7197
- OpenAlex
- W2131857378
- Cited by
- 366
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 6.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Adrenal Hormones and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Keywords
- hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, obesity, abdominal obesity, waist-to-hip ratio, cortisol, ACTH, corticotropin-releasing factor, urinary free cortisol, cortisol resistance, women
- MeSH terms
- Abdomen, Adipose Tissue, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Body Height, Body Weight, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, Cosyntropin, Female, Hip, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Obesity, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Regression Analysis, Time Factors
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