Abstract
Total body fat and its distribution pattern were assessed by a series of four (biceps triceps, subscapular and suprailiac) skinfold measurements in 180 non-insulin dependent diabetics.
Although females, both diabetic and nondiabetic, showed a significant increase in total body fat as compared to males, there was no significant difference between diabetics and nondiabetic controls matched for sex and relative body weight.
Diabetic subjects, however, revealed a significant centripetal or musculine type of distribution of body fat. Thus, the measurements in diabetics at the site of the biceps and the triceps were smaller, and those at the subscapular and suprailiac sites were larger than the measurements of controls.
Among the four skinfold measurements, the subscapular and suprailiac measurements showed the highest degree of correlation with changes in body weight and with fasting serum lipids, especially the triglyceride levels.
The above data suggest that the fat cells in the trunk region are more sensitive to metabolic factors than those in the arms, and the centripetal distribution of body fat observed in diabetics might be a reflection of some metabolic derangements in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
