The Study
Effects of Obesity, Hyperinsulinemia, and Glucose Intolerance on Insulin Action in Adipose Tissue of Sixty-Year-Old Men
This study watched 24 men over 10 years and compared 4 different groups to see how obesity and blood sugar problems affect how insulin works in fat tissue. It found that men with obesity plus glucose intolerance had less insulin effect on sugar burning in fat. But because the men weren't randomly put into groups (they were already in those conditions), we can't say for sure that obesity or glucose intolerance CAUSED the changes - we can only say they were FOUND TOGETHER.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Researchers studied 24 men aged 60 over 10 years to see how obesity, high insulin, and high blood sugar affect how insulin works in 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 538 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1For a 60-year-old man, having obesity alone does not stop insulin from working on fat tissue sugar metabolism, but adding high blood sugar (diabetes) completely blocks this effect.
- 2The more weight and metabolic problems, the worse whole-body insulin works.
- 3Insulin receptor binding was the same in all groups.
- 4Obese men had stronger insulin effect blocking fat breakdown (antilipolysis).
- 5Men with obesity plus high blood sugar (mild diabetes) showed no insulin effect on sugar burning (glucose oxidation) in fat tissue.
- 6Whole-body insulin action was progressively reduced in obese men.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Diabetes
Year
1986
Authors
Jan Bolinder, Hans Lithell, Einar Skarfors, Peter Arner
Related Content
Claims (6)
In older men with obesity, insulin seems to be better at stopping fat from breaking down compared to men of normal weight, and this difference shows up whether or not the obese men have high insulin or blood sugar problems.
Doctors have found that when men carry extra weight, their bodies become less good at responding to insulin - and this gets worse the more weight-related health problems they have.
For 60-year-old men who are moderately obese, their cells' ability to bind insulin is basically the same as for men of normal weight, even when their insulin levels or blood sugar processing differ.
Scientists tested whether giving insulin to men who are obese and have mild diabetes changes how their fat tissue processes sugar. They found that at normal insulin levels, it doesn't really matter - the fat tissue's sugar burning stays the same.
For 60-year-old men, having both obesity and blood sugar problems (but not just being obese or being obese with high insulin) is linked to their fat tissue not responding well to insulin to take in sugar.
When someone has too much insulin in their blood, it stops the body from burning stored fat and instead makes the body turn extra sugar into new fat, which gets stored in fat tissue.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.