Table 1.

Ectopic Fat Depots and Risk for T2DM in Youth and Adults

Ectopic Fat Depot	Insulin Resistance	Insulin Secretion*
	AAs > Latinos > Caucasians [4] AAs > Caucasians [14] AA ≈ Asian > Caucasian [94]§ NAs > AAs [17]§	Latinos > AAs ≈ Caucasians [4] AAs > Caucasians [14] AA > Asians ≈ Caucasians [94]§ NAs ≈ AAs [17]§
Intramyocellular Lipid (IMCL)
AAs ≈ Latinos > Caucasians [20] Asians > Caucasians [40]§	Ethnically diverse: one study found no relationship between IMCL & SI [22••] while the other found and inverse association [41] Asians: IMCL not associated with SI [40]§ Caucasians & AAs: intralipid infusion increased IMCL & decreased liver & peripheral SI; no ethnic difference [95]	Ethnically diverse: one study found IMCL was not associated with fasting insulin [22••] while the other found a positive association between intramuscular adipose tissue and OGTT-insulin area under curve [41]
Liver Fat (LF)
Latinos > Caucasians ≫ AAs [19••, 25, 51] Asians ≫ Caucasians [38]§	Caucasians: LF associated with 55% lower SI [50•] Caucasians, AA, Asians: NAFLD associated with 150% HOMA-IR [23] Latinos: high LF (>5%) associated with 75% SI, 60% HOMA-IR [49•] Latinos: high LF associated with 24% SI [55••] 22AAs: high LF associated with 49% SI [55••] AAs & Latinos (Prediabetic vs. NGT): have 30% LF; no ethnic difference [19••] Caucasians & NAs with T2DM: LF negatively associated with SI [48]	Caucasians: LF not associated with AIR [50•] Caucasians, AAs, & Asians: NAFLD associated with 30% DI [23] Latinos: high LF (>5%) associated with 31% AIR [49•] Latinos: high LF associated with 31% AIR [55••] AAs: high LF associated with 42% DI [55••]
Pancreatic Fat (PF)
Latinos ≫ AAs7 Latinos ≈ Caucasians ≫ AAs§ [46]	AAs & Latinos (Prediabetic vs. NGT): have 31% PF [19••] AAs (Prediabetic vs. NGT): 63% PF [19••] Latinos (Prediabetic vs. NGT): no difference in PF [19••] AAs & Latinos: PF not associated with SI [47•]§§	Caucasians & AAs: PF associated with AIR [46]§ Latinos: PF not associated with AIR [46]§ AAs & Latinos: PF not associated with AIR or DI [47•]§§

IMCL: intramyocellular lipid; LF: liver fat; PF: pancreatic fat; DI: disposition index, AIR: acute insulin response

^§Adults;

^§§Young adults (13–25 years)

^*Refers to insulin secretion or AIR.