Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) activity in human adipose tissue

The glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase of human adipose tissue (subcutaneous and omental) was investigated in 54 women and 36 men. This activity was found to be significantly higher in omental adipose tissue than in subcutaneous adipose tissue, and there was no difference between women and men. The correlation coefficient between G-6-PD activity and relative body weight was negative for both subcutaneous and omental adipose tissue. If one accepts the hypothesis of a relation between G-6-PD activity in fatty tissue and the rate of lipogenesis, we found evidence for a higher lipogenesis in omental than in subcutaneous fatty tissue. We found no evidence for increased lipogenesis in obese persons in a basal state after overnight fasting. The results even suggest a negative correlation between G-6-PD activity of fatty tissue and relative body weight.