Visceral adipose tissue accumulation and cardiovascular disease risk profile in postmenopausal women with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes

Summary Objective Women with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are more at risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that increased visceral adipose tissue (VAT) could explain to a large extent alterations in the cardiovascular disease risk profile of postmenopausal women with IGT or T2D. Design, patients and measurements Sixty-two women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 33 with IGT and 18 with de novo diagnosed T2D were tested. The sample was further divided into five groups: (i) NGT-low VAT (