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
. 2024 Apr 29:2024:8462987.
doi: 10.1155/2024/8462987. eCollection 2024.

Impaired Sensitivity to Thyroid Hormones Is Associated With the Change of Abdominal Fat in Euthyroid Type 2 Diabetes Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Bin Cao #  1   2 , Kun Li #  1   2 , Jing Ke  1   2 , Dong Zhao  1   2
Affiliations

Impaired Sensitivity to Thyroid Hormones Is Associated With the Change of Abdominal Fat in Euthyroid Type 2 Diabetes Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Bin Cao et al. J Diabetes Res. .

Abstract

Background and Aims: This study is aimed at investigating the potential correlation of thyroid hormone sensitivity with visceral fat area (VFA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA), and body mass index (BMI) among euthyroid type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects. Methods: Thyroid hormone sensitivity indices were calculated by thyroid feedback quantile-based index (TFQI), TSH index (TSHI), thyrotropin thyroxine resistance index (TT4RI), and free thyroxine (fT4)/free triiodothyronine (fT3) ratio. These indices were then categorized into quartiles for analysis. The outcomes were the change rates in VFA, SFA, and BMI among the participants. Result: The present study included 921 patients, with a median follow-up of 2.2 years. In multivariate linear regression, when compared to the first quartile, SFA demonstrated a notable decline in the fourth quartile of TFQI, TSHI, and TT4RI (β coefficient = -5.78, -7.83, and - 6.84 cm2 per year), while it significantly increased in the fourth quartile of fT4/fT3 ratio (β coefficient = 6.13 cm2 per year). Similarly, in the fourth quartile of TFQI, TSHI, and TT4RI, VFA decreased significantly, evidenced by β coefficients of -5.14, -4.80, and -4.08 cm2 per year. Yet, among the quartiles of the fT4/fT3 ratio, no discernible trend in VFA was observed. There was no significant association between indices of thyroid hormone sensitivity and change in BMI. Conclusion: Impaired central sensitivity to thyroid hormones was significantly associated with the reduction of VFA and SFA, while impaired peripheral sensitivity was associated with an increase of SFA in euthyroid individuals with T2DM.

Keywords: body mass index; diabetes; subcutaneous fat area; thyroid hormone sensitivity; visceral fat area.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The distributions of the (a) absolute change and (b) change rate of VFA among the quartile groups according to thyroid hormone sensitivity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The distributions of the (a) absolute change and (b) change rate of SFA among the quartile groups according to thyroid hormone sensitivity.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Multivariate linear regression of the association between thyroid hormone sensitivity indices and the decline rate of (a) VFA and (b) SFA. β coefficients were adjusted for age, sex, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, LDL-c, antihyperglycemic agents, history of hypertension, smoking status, and drinking status.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Multivariable linear regression of the association between thyroid hormone sensitivity indices and the change rate of VFA in females (a) and males (b), as well as the associations between thyroid hormone sensitivity indices and the change rate of SFA in females (c) and males (d). β coefficients were adjusted for age, sex, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, LDL-c, antihyperglycemic agents, history of hypertension, smoking status, drinking status.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sun H., Saeedi P., Karuranga S., et al. IDF Diabetes Atlas: global, regional and country-level diabetes prevalence estimates for 2021 and projections for 2045. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice . 2022;183, article 109119 doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2021.109119. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lingvay I., Sumithran P., Cohen R. V., le Roux C. W. Obesity management as a primary treatment goal for type 2 diabetes: time to reframe the conversation. The Lancet . 2022;399(10322):394–405. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01919-X. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Garber A. J. Obesity and type 2 diabetes: which patients are at risk? Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism . 2012;14(5):399–408. doi: 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2011.01536.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ohlson L. O., Larsson B., Svärdsudd K., et al. The influence of body fat distribution on the incidence of diabetes mellitus: 13.5 years of follow-up of the participants in the study of men born in 1913. Diabetes . 1985;34(10):1055–1058. doi: 10.2337/diab.34.10.1055. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chen J., Wan Y., Su J., et al. Association of generalized and abdominal obesity with diabetic retinopathy in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients. Acta Diabetologica . 2022;59(3):359–367. doi: 10.1007/s00592-021-01806-7. - DOI - PubMed