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Abdominal Fat Cell Lipolysis, Body Fat Distribution, and Metabolic Variables in Premenopausal Women^*

P. MAURIÈGE, J. P. DESPRÈS, M. MARCOTTE, M. FERLAND, A. TREMBLAY, A. NADEAU, S. MOORJANI, P. J. LUPIEN, G. THÈRIAULT and C. BOUCHARD

Physical Activity Sciences Laboratory Ste-Foy, Quebec, GlK 7P4 Canada
The Department of Medicine, Laval University Ste-Foy, Quebec, GlK 7P4 Canada

It is well established that abdominal obesity is related to numerous metabolic abnormalities and that this correlation represents a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease and related mortality. In the present study the relationships among the regional distribution of body fat, selected metabolic variables, and abdominal adipose cell lipolysis were investigated in 30 premenopausal women, 34 ± 8 yr (mean ± SD) of age, with body mass indices ranging from 17–45 kg/m². Basal as well as epinephrine- and isoproterenol-stimulated lipolyses were positively correlated with fasting plasma insulin and triglyceride levels (0.48 < r < 0.64; 0.05 > P < 0.0005 and 0.46 < r < 0.60; 0.05 > P < 0.005, respectively) and with the insulin area measured during an oral glucose tolerance test (0.49 < r < 0.67; 0.005 > P < 0.0005). With the exception of epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis, these correlations remained significant when lipolysis was corrected for cell surface area. Basal and maximal epinephrine- and isoproterenol-induced lipolyses were also negatively related to plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol (–0.52 < r < –0.36; 0.05 > P < 0.005). However, these relationships were no longer significant after control for fat cell surface. The associations between abdominal lipolysis and fat distribution did not remain significant when data were adjusted for total adiposity. Taken together, these results support the notion that variations in abdominal adipocyte lipolysis 1) depend more on total body fatness than on fat distribution, and 2) may be involved in the metabolic complications associated with abdominal obesity, particularly those pertaining to plasma insulin and triglyceride metabolism.

^* This work was supported by Health and Welfare Canada, FCARQuebec, the Quebec Heart Foundation, the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, and the Fonds de la Recherche en Santè du Quèbec (FRSQ).

FRSQ Scholar. To whom all correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received December 18, 1989.

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