Close Association of Hypoadiponectinemia and Increased Insulin Resistance in Non-Obese Japanese Type 2 Diabetes with Visceral Adiposity

Objective: Visceral fat accumulation because of obesity plays a central role in metabolic syndrome and causes cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: The aims of this study were to investigate associations between visceral fat accumulation and adipokines in non-obese type 2 diabetic patients. Results: In total, 138 type 2 diabetic patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 64 years. Among the participants, 69 were males. We found that serum high-molecular-weight adiponectin level was decreased, C-reactive protein increased, and using homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance was also increased in non-obese patients with visceral adiposity (body mass index: BMI, <25 kg/m2; visceral fat area: VFA, ≥ 100 cm2) compared with those without visceral adiposity (BMI, <25 kg/m2, VFA, <100 cm2). VFA in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was higher than in those with no NAFLD. Conclusion: We demonstrated that visceral fat accumulation is a risk for CVD in non-obese diabetic patients with visceral adiposity.