Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Clinical Investigation logoLink to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
. 1971 May;50(5):1005–1011. doi: 10.1172/JCI106570

Experimental obesity in man: cellular character of the adipose tissue

Lester B Salans 1,2, Edward S Horton 1,2, Ethan A H Sims 1,2
PMCID: PMC292021  PMID: 5552403

Abstract

Studies of adipose tissue cellularity were carried out in a group of nonobese adult male volunteers who gained 15-25% of their body weight as the result of prolonged high caloric intake. Adipose cell size (lipid content per cell) was determined in tissue obtained from three subcutaneous sites (gluteal, anterior abdominal wall, and triceps) and total adipose cell number estimated from measurement of total body fat.

Five experimental subjects gained an average of 16.2 kg of body weight, of which 10.4 kg was determined to be fat. Expansion of the adipose mass was accompanied by a significant and relatively uniform increase in fat cell size in each subcutaneous site tested. Total adipose cell number did not change as a result of weight gain and expansion of the adipose depot in adult life. Subsequent loss of weight and restoration of original body fat was associated with a reduction in adipose cell size at each subcutaneous site, but no change in total number. In two control subjects who neither gained nor lost weight there were no changes in total adipose cell number or cell size. These observations suggest that expansion and retraction of the adipose depot in adult life is accompanied by changes in adipose cell size only.

Significant differences in both the size and total number of adipose cells were observed between subjects in both the experimental and control groups. In addition, within individuals of both groups there were significant differences in cell size when adipose cells from the three subcutaneous sites were compared. These findings indicate that wide variations in adipose cell size and number exist in nonobese individuals having similar adipose depot sizes.

Full text

PDF
1005

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Goldrick R. B., McLoughlin G. M. Lipolysis and lipogenesis from glucose in human fat cells of different sizes. Effects of insulin, epinephrine, and theophylline. J Clin Invest. 1970 Jun;49(6):1213–1223. doi: 10.1172/JCI106335. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. HIRSCH J., FARQUHAR J. W., AHRENS E. H., Jr, PETERSON M. L., STOFFEL W. Studies of adipose tissue in man. A microtechnic for sampling and analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 1960 Jul-Aug;8:499–511. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/8.4.499. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hirsch J., Gallian E. Methods for the determination of adipose cell size in man and animals. J Lipid Res. 1968 Jan;9(1):110–119. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Hirsch J., Han P. W. Cellularity of rat adipose tissue: effects of growth, starvation, and obesity. J Lipid Res. 1969 Jan;10(1):77–82. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hirsch J., Knittle J. L. Cellularity of obese and nonobese human adipose tissue. Fed Proc. 1970 Jul-Aug;29(4):1516–1521. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hollenberg C. H., Vost A. Regulation of DNA synthesis in fat cells and stromal elements from rat adipose tissue. J Clin Invest. 1969 Nov;47(11):2485–2498. doi: 10.1172/JCI105930. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Katch F., Michael E. D., Horvath S. M. Estimation of body volume by underwater weighing: description of a simple method. J Appl Physiol. 1967 Nov;23(5):811–813. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1967.23.5.811. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Knittle J. L., Hirsch J. Effect of early nutrition on the development of rat epididymal fat pads: cellularity and metabolism. J Clin Invest. 1968 Sep;47(9):2091–2098. doi: 10.1172/JCI105894. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Meneely G. R., Kaltreider N. L. THE VOLUME OF THE LUNG DETERMINED BY HELIUM DILUTION. DESCRIPTION OF THE METHOD AND COMPARISON WITH OTHER PROCEDURES. J Clin Invest. 1949 Jan;28(1):129–139. doi: 10.1172/JCI102041. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Salans L. B., Knittle J. L., Hirsch J. The role of adipose cell size and adipose tissue insulin sensitivity in the carbohydrate intolerance of human obesity. J Clin Invest. 1968 Jan;47(1):153–165. doi: 10.1172/JCI105705. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Sims E. A., Goldman R. F., Gluck C. M., Horton E. S., Kelleher P. C., Rowe D. W. Experimental obesity in man. Trans Assoc Am Physicians. 1968;81:153–170. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Investigation are provided here courtesy of American Society for Clinical Investigation

RESOURCES