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
. 2008;13(3):423-8.

Insulin resistance, hepatic lipid and adipose tissue distribution in HIV-infected men

Qing He  1 , Ellen S Engelson, Gabriel Ionescu, Marshall J Glesby, Jeanine B Albu, Donald P Kotler
Affiliations

Insulin resistance, hepatic lipid and adipose tissue distribution in HIV-infected men

Qing He et al. Antivir Ther. 2008.

Abstract

Background: A large proportion of HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral medication develop insulin resistance, especially in the context of fat redistribution. This study investigates the interrelationships among fat distribution, hepatic lipid content, and insulin resistance in HIV-infected men.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 23 HIV-infected participants in three prospective clinical studies. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to quantify hepatic lipid concentrations. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to quantify whole-body adipose tissue compartments: that is, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volumes, as well as the intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) subcompartment and the omental-mesenteric adipose tissue (OMAT) and retroperitoneal adipose tissue (RPAT) subcompartments of VAT. The homeostasis model for assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated from fasting glucose and insulin concentrations.

Results: Hepatic lipid content correlated significantly with total VAT (r = 0.62, P = 0.0014), but not with SAT (r = 0.053, P = 0.81). In univariate analysis, hepatic lipid content was associated with the OMAT (r = 0.67, P = 0.0004) and RPAT (r = 0.53, P = 0.009) subcompartments; HOMA-IR correlated with both VAT and hepatic lipid contents (r = 0.61, P = 0.057 and r = 0.68, P = 0.0012, respectively). In stepwise linear regression models, hepatic lipid had the strongest associations with OMAT and with HOMA-IR.

Conclusion: Hepatic lipid content is associated with VAT volume, especially the OMAT subcompartment, in HIV-infected men. Hepatic lipid content is associated with insulin resistance in HIV-infected men. Hepatic lipid content might mediate the relationship between VAT and insulin resistance among treated, HIV-infected men.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A simple correlation between omental-mesenteric adipose tissue volume and hepatic lipid concentration
Figure 2
Figure 2
A simple correlation between HOMA-IR index and hepatic lipid concentration
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Palella FJ, Baker RK, Moorman AC, et al. Mortality in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era: changing causes of death and disease in the HIV outpatient study. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2006;43:27–34. - PubMed
    1. Friis-Møller N, Weber R, Reiss P, et al. Cardiovascular disease risk factors in HIV patients--association with antiretroviral therapy. Results from the DAD study AID. 2003;17:1179–93. - PubMed
    1. Engelson ES, Kotler DP, Tan Y, et al. Fat distribution in HIV-infected patients reporting truncal enlargement quantified by whole-body magnetic resonance imaging. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;69:1162–9. - PubMed
    1. Bacchetti P, Gripshover B, Grunfeld C, et al. Fat distribution in men with HIV infection. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2005;40:121–31. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kosmiski LA, Kuritzkes DR, Lichtenstein KA, et al. Fat distribution and metabolic changes are strongly correlated and energy expenditure is increased in the HIV lipodystrophy syndrome. AIDS. 2001;15:1993–2000. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms