According to new research conducted at the UC Davis Health System, "pear-shaped" bodies with more fat stored in the buttocks, hips and thighs are less likely to be at a risk of heart disease and diabetes than compared with "apple-shaped" bodies with more weight around the abdomen, reports Medical Xpress.
The study shows irregular levels of chemerin and omentin-1 protiens are secreted by the fat accumulated in the buttocks and also known as gluteal adipose tissue, which may lead to swelling and initial symptoms of diabetes known as insulin resistance in individuals with metabolic syndrome, said a report in Medical Xpress.
"Fat in the abdomen has long been considered the most detrimental to health, and gluteal fat was thought to protect against diabetes, heart disease and metabolic syndrome," said Ishwarlal Jialal, lead author of the study and a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and of internal medicine at UC Davis, reports Medical Xpress. "But our research helps to dispel the myth that gluteal fat is 'innocent.' It also suggests that abnormal protein levels may be an early indicator to identify those at risk for developing metabolic syndrome."
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, metabolic syndrome is affecting many people in the United States and over 35 percent of young adults are affected by this type of syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is referred to a group of risk factors that increase the risk of heart disease, type2 diabetes and stroke. The most important risk factors are central obesity or apple-shaped body where the weight is gained around the waistline and Insulin resistance.
"High chemerin levels correlated with four of the five characteristics of metabolic syndrome and may be a promising biomarker for metabolic syndrome," Jialal said. "As it's also an indicator of inflammation and insulin resistance, it could also emerge as part of a biomarker panel to define high-risk obesity states. The good news is that with weight loss, you can reduce chemerin levels along with the risk for metabolic syndrome."
The study involved two groups- one with 45 patients with early metabolic syndrome with at least three risk factors and another control group had 30 patients with less than two risk factors of metabolic syndrome. Both the groups were measured with the blood count, lipid profiles and blood glucose. In addition, levels of chemerin, resistin, visfatin and omentin-1 proteins were measured in plasma and fat samples from the buttock area.
As a result, Jialal and his team found increased levels of chemerin levels and decreased levels of omentin-1 in both plasma and gluteal fat of the participants with metabolic syndrome more than three risk factors.
"Future large epidemiological studies should focus on evaluating the role of chemerin as a biomarker for the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in metabolic syndrome," Jialal said.
The study is published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
