Premium
Altered adrenocorticotropin and Cortisol secretion in abdominal obesity: implications for the insulin resistance syndrome
Author(s) -
HAUTANEN A.,
ADLERCREUTZ H.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.625
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1365-2796
pISSN - 0954-6820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2796.1993.tb00779.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endocrinology , insulin , insulin resistance , abdominal obesity , body mass index , waist–hip ratio , obesity , insulin tolerance test , triglyceride , hydrocortisone , waist , cholesterol , insulin sensitivity
. Objectives . To investigate the relationship between the pituitary‐adrenocortical function, abdominal obesity, and insulin resistance syndrome. Design . A prospective study. Setting . Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. Subjects . Sixty‐six healthy males aged 30–55 years. Main outcome measures . Insulin, C‐peptide, Cortisol and ACTH responses during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and the Cortisol response to dexamethasone suppression and intravenous adreno‐corticotrophic hormone (ACTH) stimulation. Results . The subjects in the highest tertile of the waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) had lower high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) ( P < 0.05), but higher triglyceride (TG), insulin, and C‐peptide levels, ACTH response to glucose at 2 h, and Cortisol response to ACTH ( P < 0.01) than those in the lowest tertile. The Cortisol response to ACTH correlated positively, but Cortisol levels during the OGTT correlated negatively with WHR. The ratio of these Cortisol determinations correlated positively with the body‐mass index (BMI) ( r = 0.554; P < 0.001), WHR ( r = 0.536; P < 0.001), TG ( r = 0.397; P = 0.001), fasting insulin ( r = 0.534; P < 0.001) and C‐peptide ( r = 0.458; P < 0.001), and negatively with HDLC ( r = 0.353; P = 0.004). In multiple regression analyses, BMI and the 2‐h ACTH response to glucose were significant predictors of WHR and, in addition, the Cortisol ratio, WHR, and BMI of insulin. Conclusions . Abdominal obesity may be associated with subtle central adrenal insufficiency, which might also affect insulin and lipoprotein metabolism.