Preferential deposition of visceral adipose tissue occurs due to physical inactivity

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity Vol. 38; no. 11; pp. 1478 - 1480
• Main Authors: Belavý, D L, Möhlig, M, Pfeiffer, A F H, Felsenberg, D, Armbrecht, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.11.2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/420; 692/699/317; Absorptiometry; Absorptiometry, Photon; Adipose tissue; Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Adipose tissues; Adult; Bed rest; Bed Rest - adverse effects; Biological and medical sciences; Body composition; Body fat; Bones; Deposition; Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; Epidemiology; Exercise; Head-Down Tilt - adverse effects; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Humans; Iliac crest; Immobilization; Insulin; Internal Medicine; Legs; Lipid metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Muscular Atrophy - pathology; Muscular Atrophy - prevention & control; Nutrition; Obesity; Physical fitness; Physiological aspects; Properties; Public Health; Regions; Resistance Training - methods; Sedentary behavior; short-communication; Space Flight; Time Factors; Vibration; Weightlessness Simulation; Berlin Germany; Germany; immobilisation; spaceflight; training; lipid; insulin resistance; Endocrinopathy; Physical exercise; Obesity; Pancreatic hormone; Adipose tissue; Nutrition; Nutrition disorder; Lipids; Metabolic diseases; Insulin; Target tissue resistance; Insulin resistance; Deposition; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2014.26

We hypothesised that strict inactivity (bed rest) would lead to regional differences in fat deposition. Twenty-four male subjects underwent 60d bed rest and remained inactive ( n =9), performed resistance exercise plus whole-body vibration (RVE; n =7) or resistance exercise only (RE; n =8). Fat mass was assessed via dual X-ray absorptiometry. In the inactive subjects, fat deposition differed between body regions ( P =0.0005) with android region visceral adipose tissue increasing the most (+29% at the end of bed rest), followed by remainder of the trunk (from chin to the iliac crest; +10%) and the arms and legs (both +7%). Insulin sensitivity reduced in the inactive subjects at the end of bed rest ( P =0.036). RE did not have a significant impact on regional fat mass changes ( P ⩾0.055). In RVE, increases in visceral adipose tissue (−14%; P =0.028 vs inactive subjects) and in the arms (arms −8%, P =0.011 vs inactive) were not seen. We conclude that inactivity leads to a preferential increase in visceral adipose tissue.