OBJECTIVE To study the associations between changes in body fatness, visceral adipose tissue (AT), and indexes of plasma glucose-insulin homeostasis over a 7-year follow-up period.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A sample of 30 nondiabetic women aged 35.2 ± 5.6 (SD) years at baseline was studied.

RESULTS Changes in visceral AT and in subcutaneous AT (measured by computed tomography) as well as changes in body fat mass (obtained by hydrostatic weighting) were significantly related to changes in fasting plasma insulin levels and in plasma insulin area measured after a 75-g oral glucose load (0.47 ≤ r ≤ 0.62; P < 0.01). Changes in visceral AT but not in body fat mass or in subcutaneous AT area were significantly associated with changes in plasma glucose area (r = 0.37; P < 0.05). When two subgroups of women with similar mean increases in body fat mass but with either small or large increases in visceral AT were compared, the subgroup with the largest gain in visceral AT showed the greatest deterioration in indexes of plasma glucose-insulin homeostasis. On the other hand, when two subgroups with similar mean increases in visceral AT but with different changes in body fat mass were compared, both subgroups showed similar changes in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations.

CONCLUSIONS Results of this 7-year follow-up study in women suggest that changes in indexes of plasma glucose-insulin homeostasis are significantly associated with changes in visceral AT, even after control for changes in body fat mass.