Ethnic differences in adipose tissue dysfunction and insulin resistance: a scoping review

Area of Science:

• Metabolic research
• Human physiology
• Ethnic disparities in health

Background:

• Adipose tissue dysfunction (ATD) is linked to metabolic diseases.
• Ethnic variations in ATD characteristics are not fully understood.
• Ectopic fat deposition, adipokines, and insulin resistance are key indicators of ATD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize existing literature on ethnic comparisons of ATD.
• To examine differences in ectopic fat, adipokines, and insulin resistance across South Asian (SA), Black (BA), and White (WE) populations.
• To identify gaps in research regarding ethnic variations in ATD.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review of MEDLINE-searched studies.
• Keywords included "adipose tissue dysfunction" and "ethnicity".
• Included studies compared ectopic fat, insulin sensitivity, and adipokines in adult SA, BA, and WE populations.

Main Results:

• Thirty-one studies were included, predominantly conducted in the USA.
• Most studies focused on intrahepatic lipids, with fewer on intrapancreatic or intramyocellular lipids.
• Limited research investigated adipokines (leptin, adiponectin) alongside ectopic fat by ethnicity.

Conclusions:

• Intrahepatic lipids are lower in BA and higher in SA compared to WE populations.
• These findings suggest ethnic disparities in ATD's role in type 2 diabetes (T2D) development.
• Further research is needed to investigate multiple ATD characteristics simultaneously in SA and BA groups to understand ethnic-specific T2D pathophysiology.