Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2006 Jun;29(6):1337-44.
doi: 10.2337/dc05-2565.

Effect of calorie restriction with or without exercise on insulin sensitivity, beta-cell function, fat cell size, and ectopic lipid in overweight subjects

D Enette Larson-Meyer  1 , Leonie K Heilbronn, Leanne M Redman, Bradley R Newcomer, Madlyn I Frisard, Steve Anton, Steven R Smith, Anthony Alfonso, Eric Ravussin
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of calorie restriction with or without exercise on insulin sensitivity, beta-cell function, fat cell size, and ectopic lipid in overweight subjects

D Enette Larson-Meyer et al. Diabetes Care. 2006 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this article was to determine the relationships among total body fat, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), fat cell size (FCS), ectopic fat deposition in liver (intrahepatic lipid [IHL]) and muscle (intramyocellular lipid [IMCL]), and insulin sensitivity index (S(i)) in healthy overweight, glucose-tolerant subjects and the effects of calorie restriction by diet alone or in conjunction with exercise on these variables.

Research design and methods: Forty-eight overweight volunteers were randomly assigned to four groups: control (100% of energy requirements), 25% calorie restriction (CR), 12.5% calorie restriction +12.5% energy expenditure through structured exercise (CREX), or 15% weight loss by a low-calorie diet followed by weight maintenance for 6 months (LCD). Weight, percent body fat, VAT, IMCL, IHL, FCS, and S(i) were assessed at baseline and month 6.

Results: At baseline, FCS was related to VAT and IHL (P < 0.05) but not to IMCL. FCS was also the strongest determinant of S(i) (P < 0.01). Weight loss at month 6 was 1 +/- 1% (control, mean +/- SE), 10 +/- 1% (CR), 10 +/- 1% (CREX), and 14 +/- 1% (LCD). VAT, FCS, percent body fat, and IHL were reduced in the three intervention groups (P < 0.01), but IMCL was unchanged. S(i) was increased at month 6 (P = 0.05) in the CREX (37 +/- 18%) and LCD (70 +/- 34%) groups (P < 0.05) and tended to increase in the CR group (40 +/- 20%, P = 0.08). Together the improvements in S(i) were related to loss in weight, fat mass, and VAT, but not IHL, IMCL, or FCS.

Conclusions: Large adipocytes lead to lipid deposition in visceral and hepatic tissues, promoting insulin resistance. Calorie restriction by diet alone or with exercise reverses this trend.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
In healthy overweight men and women at baseline, there was a strong positive correlation between abdominal subcutaneous FCS and VAT (A) and abdominal subcutaneous FCS and IHL (B). Groups were pooled for analysis. ●, CR; ○, CREX; △, LCD; ▼, control.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The improvement in insulin sensitivity with 6 months of calorie restriction was significantly associated with the loss of fat mass (A) and abdominal VAT depots (B) but not to the change in subcutaneous abdominal FCS (C) and IHL (D). ●, CR; ○, CREX; △, LCD; ▼, control. Analyses are reported with and without the control group included.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Forsey RJ, Thompson JM, Ernerudh J, Hurst TL, Strindhall J, Johansson B, Nilsson BO, Wikby A. Plasma cytokine profiles in elderly humans. Mech Ageing Dev. 2003;124:487–493. - PubMed
    1. Matsumoto K, Sera Y, Abe Y, Ueki Y, Tominaga T, Miyake S. Inflammation and insulin resistance are independently related to all-cause of death and cardiovascular events in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Atherosclerosis. 2003;169:317–321. - PubMed
    1. Utzschneider KM, Carr DB, Hull RL, Kodama K, Shofer JB, Retzlaff BM, Knopp RH, Kahn SE. Impact of intra-abdominal fat and age on insulin sensitivity and β-cell function. Diabetes. 2004;53:2867–2872. - PubMed
    1. Kelley DE, Thaete FL, Troost F, Huwe T, Goodpaster BH. Subdivisions of subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue and insulin resistance. Am J Physiol. 2000;278:E941–E948. - PubMed
    1. Weyer C, Foley JE, Bogardus C, Tataranni PA, Pratley RE. Enlarged subcutaneous abdominal adipocyte size, but not obesity itself, predicts type II diabetes independent of insulin resistance. Diabetologia. 2000;43:1498–1506. - PubMed

Publication types