Abdominal obesity and adipose tissue depots: Focus on intra-abdominal versus subcutaneous adipose tissue depots in Asian Indians

Obesity and abdominal obesity are increasing in many developing countries, and India. Prevalence is higher in females as compared to males in most of the South Asian regions. In India, NFHS-5 survey (2019–21) showed a higher prevalence of abdominal obesity in urban versus rural regions. Abdominal adipose tissue is mainly divided into intra-abdominal adipose tissue and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SCAT). Both these depots show different physiological effects. Data from a few studies show preferential deposition of fat in SCAT in Asian Indians versus Caucasians. In SCAT, deep subcutaneous adipose tissue, present in high amounts in Asian Indians, could influence metabolism in an adverse manner. Combined, these two adipose tissue depots are drivers of insulin resistance, particularly, in the Asian Indian population.