No, no elephants here. Sorry. This is about human trunks - that is, your upper torso. "Upper trunk fat" refers to fatty deposits that form on the chest and upper back area. According to the latest research, upper trunk fat is associated with increased risk for insulin resistance. And insulin resistance, in case ya didn't know, is an early symptom of type 2 diabetes.

It was already known that visceral fat, the fatty deposits that form around and between the internal organs, contributes to insulin resistance.

This study, linking upper trunk fat to insulin resistance, was conducted by researchers based at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. The connection was actually established in the course of a study of fat redistribution and metabolic change in HIV-infected patients. Both HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy and non-HIV-infected control participants were involved in the study.

A surprise finding was this fact that upper trunk fat contributes to insulin resistance just as much as does visceral fat. Also of note: this occurs regardless of whether or not the other type of fat is present. The researchers also note that all study participants were equally at risk. Says lead researcher Dr. Carl Grunfeld, "Strikingly, there was very little difference between HIV-infected people and controls. If you have fat up top, it's bad for you."

A full report has been published in the online version of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.