DO POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH NIDDM HAVE A REDUCED CAPACITY TO DEPOSITAND CONSERVE LOWER-BODY FAT

OBJECTIVE -To compare regional body fat distribution and sex hormone s tatus of postmenopausal women with NIDDM with those of age- and BMI-ma tched normoglycemic women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS -The regional b ody fat distribution and sex hormone status of 42 postmenopausal women with NIDDM were compared with those of 42 normoglycemic women matched for age and BMI, who served as control subjects. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and testosterone were measured in serum. RESULTS -Alt hough the levels of total body fat were similar between the two groups , the women with NIDDM had significantly less lower-body fat (LBF) (P < 0.01) than the control subjects matched for age and BMI. This patter n of fat deposition in women with NIDDM was accompanied by an androgen ic hormone profile, with decreased SHBG concentration and an increased free androgen index (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION S -A reduced capacity to deposit and/or conserve LBF may be an indepen dent factor associated with (or may be a marker of the metabolic manif estations of the insulin resistance syndrome in women with NIDDM. The possibility that the smaller relative accumulation of LBF is a consequ ence of the androgenic hormonal profile should be investigated in futu re studies.