Emerging evidence suggests that intermuscular adipose tissue is a risk factor for insulin resistance, but the underlying mechanism still remains unclear. We investigated whether the levels of leptin, adiponectin, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 are associated with intermuscular adipose tissue in obese subjects.

A cross-sectional study was performed on 77 obese Korean women. Areas of visceral adipose tissue, subcutaneous adipose tissue, and intermuscular adipose tissue were measured by computed tomography scan, and serum concentrations of adipokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Correlation between the levels of adipokines and the fat areas was assessed using Pearson correlation and covariate-adjusted multivariable regression.

Leptin was positively correlated with subcutaneous adipose tissue (r = 0.452, P < 0.001), fasting insulin (r = 0.403, P < 0.001), and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (r = 0.360, P = 0.001), whereas monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 was positively correlated with intermuscular adipose tissue (r = 0.483, P < 0.001). After adjustment for age, height, and other body composition metrics, leptin was still related to subcutaneous adipose tissue (β = 0.390, P = 0.001). Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 was associated with intermuscular adipose tissue (β = 0.433, P = 0.001) after adjustment for visceral adipose tissue.

Intermuscular adipose tissue was correlated with monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, suggesting its role in the development of insulin resistance.