The Study
Black African men with early type 2 diabetes have similar muscle, liver and adipose tissue insulin sensitivity to white European men despite lower visceral fat
This study looked at how well two groups of men’s bodies used sugar and fat, and found they worked about the same, even though one group had less belly fat. But it didn’t change anything — it just watched and measured. So we can’t say the belly fat caused the difference or that one group is healthier — we only know they were similar in this one snapshot.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Black African men have less belly fat and more muscle than White European men, but both groups have the same level of insulin resistance in muscle, liver, and fat tissue.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even with less belly fat and more muscle, Black men didn't have better insulin sensitivity — meaning belly fat isn't the only driver of diabetes risk, and muscle alone doesn't protect against it.
- 2Black men had 34.5% less belly fat and 11.9% more muscle than White men, but insulin sensitivity in muscle, liver, and fat was the same in both groups.
- 3In White men, muscle and fat insulin sensitivity were strongly linked; in Black men, liver insulin sensitivity was linked to belly fat.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Diabetologia
Year
2019
Authors
Oluwatoyosi Bello, C. Mohandas, F. Shojee-moradie, N. Jackson, O. Hakim, K. Alberti, J. Peacock, A. Umpleby, S. Amiel, L. Goff
Related Content
Claims (6)
Fat tissue around internal organs releases signaling molecules that directly reduce the body's ability to respond to insulin.
Among men with early type 2 diabetes, Black African men and White European men show the same level of insulin sensitivity in the body, muscles, liver, and fat tissue, even though Black African men have less visceral fat and more muscle mass.
In men with early type 2 diabetes, the relationship between insulin sensitivity in muscle and fat tissue is strong in White European men but weak in Black African men, suggesting a difference in how these tissues interact metabolically by ethnicity.
In Black African men with early type 2 diabetes, higher amounts of visceral fat are associated with lower liver insulin sensitivity, but this relationship does not occur in White European men with early type 2 diabetes.
In men with early type 2 diabetes, the rate of fat breakdown in the body is strongly linked to how well muscle responds to insulin in White European men, but not in Black African men.
Among men with early type 2 diabetes, having more skeletal muscle does not lead to better insulin sensitivity in Black African men compared to White European men, meaning muscle size alone does not explain differences in how the body responds to insulin.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.