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World J Diabetes. Oct 15, 2026; 17(10): 123878
Published online Oct 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.123878
Published online Oct 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.123878
Associations of quantitative computed tomography measured abdominal and ectopic fat with impaired glucose metabolism in overweight/obese Chinese adults
Xiao-Li Ma, Hui-Chen Zhao, Wei-Na Mu, Department of Endocrinology, Qingdao Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Municipal Hospital), Qingdao 266035, Shandong Province, China
Yang Liu, Bo-Han Li, Yan-Pei Sun, Hua Lin, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Qilu Hospital (Qingdao), Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Qingdao 266035, Shandong Province, China
He-Li Han, Wan-Jiang Yu, Department of Radiology, Qingdao Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (Qingdao Municipal Hospital), Qingdao 266035, Shandong Province, China
Yuan-Tao Liu, Department of Endocrinology, Qilu Hospital (Qingdao), Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Qingdao 266035, Shandong Province, China
Co-first authors: Xiao-Li Ma and Yang Liu.
Co-corresponding authors: Wei-Na Mu and Yuan-Tao Liu.
Author contributions: Ma XL and Liu Y played important and indispensable roles in the experimental design as co-first authors; Ma XL, Liu Y, Zhao HC, and Sun YP were responsible for patient recruitment and data collection; Li BH and Lin H were responsible for data analysis; Han HL and Yu WJ were responsible for quantitative computed tomography measurements; Mu WN and Liu YT contributed to study design and manuscript drafting, supervised the study, and reviewed and edited the manuscript as co-corresponding authors; all authors participated in revising the manuscript and approved the final version prior to submission.
AI contribution statement: We confirm that AI-assisted tools were used solely to polish the English language and grammar of the authors' initial draft. These tools were not employed to generate scientific content, process data, or contribute to study design. All AI-generated outputs were reviewed and verified by all authors, who take full responsibility for the scientific content of the final manuscript.
Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong, No. ZR2022MH086.
Institutional review board statement: The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Qingdao Municipal Hospital (approval number: 2022 LSZ No. 90). The committee concluded that the study protocol complied with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The technical approaches employed were advanced and scientifically sound, the sampling and research procedures adhered to standard medical practice, and the project fulfilled the requirements of medical ethics.
Informed consent statement: Given that the data collection process posed only minimal risk, with potential harm to participants not exceeding the minimum threshold, and that the data analysis was primarily retrospective and observational in nature, the Medical Ethics Committee granted a waiver of written informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The data that support the findings of this study are not publicly available due to privacy reasons, but are available from the corresponding author or the data sharing committee upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Yuan-Tao Liu, PhD, Professor, Department of Endocrinology, Qilu Hospital (Qingdao), Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, No. 758 Hefei Road, Shibei District, Qingdao 266035, Shandong Province, China. sduliuyuantao@126.com
Received: June 8, 2026
Revised: July 20, 2026
Accepted: August 25, 2026
Published online: October 15, 2026
Processing time: 119 Days and 16 Hours
Revised: July 20, 2026
Accepted: August 25, 2026
Published online: October 15, 2026
Processing time: 119 Days and 16 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This cross-sectional study of overweight/obese Chinese adults utilized quantitative computed tomography to evaluate the sex-specific associations of abdominal and ectopic fat depots with impaired glucose metabolism (IGM). Hepatic fat fraction (HFF) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were independently associated with IGM in both sexes, with odds ratios ranging from 5.24 to 6.45 for HFF and from 3.29 to 6.56 for VAT. Notably, higher subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) was associated with lower odds of IGM exclusively in males (odds ratio = 0.13). These findings underscore that sex differences in abdominal fat distribution may contribute to heterogeneity in glucose metabolism disorders.