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Relationship Between Thyroid Hormones and Fat Distribution in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A
Jun Yang1, Chenlin Gao1, Qin Wan1
1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, People's Republic of China.
Introduction:
The global prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) poses significant health and economic challenges, especially given its association with abnormal fat distribution and related metabolic complications. Thyroid hormones, key regulators of metabolism, also have been linked to variations in fat distribution. This cross-sectional study aimed to characterize the relationships between the levels of thyroid hormones, including free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and fat distribution in T2DM patients with normal thyroid function.
Methods:
Data from 2,956 T2DM patients were analysed. Visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) were measured via bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Correlation and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to assess the independent effects of thyroid hormone levels on fat distribution, controlling for potential confounders.
Results:
FT3 showed a significant positive correlation with both VFA (r=0.248, P<0.001) and SFA (r=0.190, P<0.001), while FT4 had a weak inverse correlation. TSH correlated positively with VFA and SFA but was less impactful than FT3. On multivariate regression analysis, FT3 was shown to predict increased fat distribution, while FT4 inversely affected VFA and SFA.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that thyroid hormones, particularly FT3, influence fat distribution in T2DM patients. Further longitudinal studies are needed to explore thyroid hormone levels as potential biomarkers for metabolic management in T2DM.
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