Fat deposits and their relationship with type 2 diabetes in patients with metabolic syndrome

Aim: In Mexico, 18.3% of patients over 20 years of age suffer from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Visceral fat has been identified as a risk factor for developing T2DM, considering that its effect depends mainly on the amount, it has been proposed that its location also participates in the genesis of T2DM. This paper aims to analyze whether the location of fatty depots participates in the appearance of T2DM in patients with metabolic syndrome. Methods: A total of 101 patients with metabolic syndrome according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation were included. In all of them, epicardial fat (EF) was measured by echocardiography, according to the Iacobelis criteria. Preperitoneal fat (PreF), mesenteric fat (MF), and perirenal fat (PF) were also measured by ultrasound. The statistical methods used were the odds ratio (OR) and Fisher’s exact test. Results: We found a significant association between EF thickness (OR 8.28, 95% CI 2.16–31.70, p = 0.001) and MF (OR 4.27, 95% CI 1.63–11.13, p = 0.0037) with T2DM, 60% of patients with increased PF presented T2DM. Interestingly, no patient with a PF less than 10 mm presented with T2DM. We found no association between PreF and T2DM (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.32–2.40). Conclusions: The results suggest that the location of adipose tissue plays an important role in the development of T2DM. This may be due to the type of adipocytokines secreted by the various fat deposits and their metabolic effects.