A familial form of obesity without hyperinsulinism at the outset

A total of 32 pairs of obese fathers or mothers and their obese offsprings, aged 20 yr or younger, from 25 families with established hyperinsulinemic obesity aged 11-20 yr equally showed an insulin hyperresponse to glucose, the offspring 10 yr or younger revealed a rather normal insulin response, despite the presence of obesity, and this contrasted with their fathers or mothers. No difference was found in the estimated age of onset between the two groups of offspring. The offsprings in both age groups ate a similar high carbohydrate, high calorie diet. The results suggest that the insulin hypersecretion is not the primary trait in this form of familial obesity and that the insulin response to glucose becomes augmented during the maturation years of 11-20, thus resulting in the accumulation of hyperinsulinemic and hyperlipidemic adults in the family.