Research paper
Björntorp P. Metabolic implications of body fat distribution. Diabetes Care. 1991 Dec;14(12):1132-1143. doi: 10.2337/diacare.14.12.1132
Why we cite it
An early mechanistic review proposing that abdominal visceral obesity is not simply a matter of excess fat but a neuroendocrine disorder driven by stress, cortisol, and hormonal dysregulation. Identifies free fatty acids as the metabolic link between visceral fat and insulin resistance, and frames psychosocial stress as a possible background to visceral fat accumulation.
About the author
Per Björntorp, MD, PhD (1931–2003), was Professor of Internal Medicine at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, University of Gothenburg, Sweden (appointed 1977) and Head of the Department of Internal Medicine until his retirement in 1996. He was Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Obesity (1983–1989) and received numerous awards including the Willendorf Prize (1983), Söderberg’s Award (1990), Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (1991), Wasserman Award (2000), and Henry Sebrell Award (2002). His later career focused on stress-related conditions affecting the HPA axis, abdominal obesity, and insulin resistance.
DOI: 10.2337/diacare.14.12.1132 · PubMed 1773700 · Publisher