Obesity and fat distribution impair glucose tolerance

Serial changes in blood glucose concentrations during an oral glucose tolerance test in 9 patients with upper body obesity, 16 patients with lower body obesity, and 9 control subjects without obesity. The groups with obesity had impaired glucose tolerance, but the abnormality was more pronounced in the group with upper body obesity. The degree of glucose intolerance underestimated the degree of insulin resistance since peak serum insulin concentrations were also much higher in the group with upper body obesity (225 microU/mL versus 115 and 65 microU/mL in the other 2 groups). To convert blood glucose to mmol/L, divide by 18; to convert serum insulin to pmol/L, multiply by 6.