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Liposuction has been proposed as a potential treatment for the metabolic complications of obesity. We evaluated the effect of large-volume abdominal liposuction on metabolic risk factors for coronary heart disease in women with abdominal obesity.

We evaluated the insulin sensitivity of liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue (with a euglycemic–hyperinsulinemic clamp procedure and isotope-tracer infusions) as well as levels of inflammatory mediators and other risk factors for coronary heart disease in 15 obese women before and 10 to 12 weeks after abdominal liposuction. Eight of the women had normal glucose tolerance (mean [±SD] body-mass index, 35.1±2.4), and seven had type 2 diabetes (body-mass index, 39.9±5.6).

Liposuction decreased the volume of subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue by 44 percent in the subjects with normal glucose tolerance and 28 percent …