Is Visceral Adiposity a Significant Correlate of Subcutaneous Adipose Cell Lipolysis in Men?1

The aim of the present study was to examine whether site differences in sc adipose tissue (AT) lipolysis may be considered a contributing factor to the altered metabolic risk profile of visceral compared to peripheral obese men once the concomitant variation in adipose cell size is taken into account. For this purpose, sc abdominal and femoral fat cell lipolytic responses were investigated in two groups of men (body mass index, 28 ± 2 kg/m2), aged 36 ± 3 yr, who were matched for both sc abdominal AT area (256 ± 64 cm2) and sc abdominal adipose cell weight (0.55 ± 0.08 μg lipid/cell) but were characterized by either a high (162 ± 29 cm2; n = 18) or a low (101 ± 21 cm2; n = 18) visceral AT deposition. The maximal lipolytic response to epinephrine or to isoproterenol (β-adrenergic agonist) as well as the maximal antilipolytic effect of either epinephrine or clonidine (α2-adrenergic agonist) assessed in sc adipocytes were similar among men with low vs. high levels of visceral AT. However, theβ -adrenoceptor s...