An Overview of the Pathophysiology of Metabolic Changes and Their Sequence of Occurrence in Obese Diabetic Females: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Obesity and diabetes both mediate their effects through insulin resistance and frequently co-exist. Insulin resistance is one of the key factors in the development of the metabolic syndrome. Adult females tend to develop obesity more frequently than males. One of the factors causing this difference is the pattern of changes that occur as females age from pre-menopausal to the post-menopausal stage, causing a change in the pattern of accumulation of fats. Several studies have explored and described the association between obesity and metabolic syndrome and their effect on type II diabetes. We conducted our literature search using PubMed and Google Scholar as our primary databases. We selected a total of 49 articles for review after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria and removing the duplicate articles. We chose the full-text articles that were published in the English language only. The selected studies were randomized controlled trials and review papers. The reviewed articles showed that visceral fat, central obesity, and fasting blood sugar of post-menopausal is higher than in pre-menopausal women and needs adequate management. More studies are needed in the future to explore the patterns of the metabolic changes in obese females to provide early and better management of diabetes and prevent related complications.

Keywords: adult females; diabetes mellitus; female diabetics; metabolic changes and diabetes; metabolic syndrome; obesity and diabetes.

Figure 1. The various components of metabolic syndrome.

Figure 2. Pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome.

Figure 3. Link between obesity, diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.