Insulin sensitivity in Familial Multiple Lipomatosis

Familial Multiple Lipomatosis (FML) is a mainly autosomal dominant rare benign condition. Excessive fat storage (obesity), as well as the inability to store fat (lipodystrophy), is associated with insulin resistance.

Our study aimed to document if also patients affected by regional excess of subcutaneous adipose tissue as in FML show this feature.

Metabolic studies were performed in four brothers. A standard 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was submitted to each patient, with blood sampling at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 min. Insulin sensitivity was calculated from the OGTT as the oral glucose insulin sensitivity index (OGIS), using the 2-h OGIS equation. Eight obese, non-diabetic subjects matched for BMI, age and sex, were used as controls.

All the patients revealed a normal glucose tolerance and a normal HBA1c.

Isolated subcutaneous fat accumulation is not necessarily associated with insulin resistance, on the contrary it may even allow a relatively high degree of insulin sensitivity.