Body
Shape and Fat Distribution - Impact on Diabetes Risk?
The
type of fat you eat can turn you into a pear or an apple shape
Take
a look in the mirror, what do you see? An apple, a pear?
Obesity is a growing problem in Europe and currently one of the
main risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. Scientists have suggested that
the type of fat in your diet may have an effect on how it is
distributed in the body, which in turn could be associated with a
stronger risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.
A
European-funded project in Toulouse, France, investigated the
influence of fat distribution, along with other genetic and
environmental factors, on the development of heart disease and
diabetes.
Scientists
suggest that if you have some extra weight, the place where the body
fat accumulates is important. Excess abdominal fat, the so-called
‘apple-shaped body’ especially common in men, is, they claim, a
stronger risk factor for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease than fat
tissue on thighs and buttocks, the ‘pear shaped body’, more common
in women.
For
the study, groups of obese and diabetic volunteers ate diets of
different fat composition: some of the subjects ate mainly animal fat
and the others mainly vegetable fat.
The
animal fat diet was rich in saturated fatty acids, whereas the
vegetable fat diet was rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. The
results revealed that substituting saturated animal fat with
polyunsaturated vegetable fat changed abdominal fat distribution and
improved insulin sensitivity. This may play a role in the development
of diabetes, especially Type 2, (which used to be known as adult-onset
diabetes).
The
researchers also looked into the role of genes in the development of
heart disease and diabetes. They found that in obese subjects, the
metabolism of fat tissue differs from that in normal-weight subjects. Information
about the study contact the project co-ordinator: Dr. Dominique Langin,
INSERM U317, Institut Louis Bugnard, CHU Rangueil, 31403 Toulouse,
France.
Did
You Know?
A
brisk 15-minute walk is equivalent in relaxation power to taking 5
milligrams of Valium.
