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PubMedDate not supplied

Regional distribution of body fat, plasma lipoproteins, and cardiovascular disease.

Several epidemiological studies have reported that the regional distribution of body fat is a significant and independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related mortality. Although these associations are well established, the causal mechanisms are not fully understood. Numerous studies have, however, shown that specific topographic features of adipose tissue are associated with metabolic complications that are considered as risk factors for CVD such as insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance and type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and changes in the concentration of plasma lipids and lipoproteins. The present article summarizes the evidence on the metabolic correlates of body fat distribution. Potential mechanisms for the association between body fat distribution, metabolic complications, and CVD are reviewed, with an emphasis on plasma lipoprotein levels and plasma lipid transport. From the evidence available, it seems likely that subjects with visceral obesity represent the subgroup of obese individuals with the highest risk for CVD. Although body fat distribution is now considered as a more significant risk factor for CVD and related death rate than obesity per se, further research is clearly needed to identify the determinants of body fat distribution and the causal mechanisms involved in the metabolic alterations. It appears certain, however, that an altered plasma lipid transport is a significant component of the relation between body fat distribution and CVD.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1990

[Anthropometric study of obese patients].

The authors give an account of anthropometric examinations in obese patients. These methods are used not only for quantitative assessment of the degree of obesity but also to define the body fat distribution. The predominant body fat distribution in the upper body half on the chest and abdomen is typical for android obesity and is, contrary to gynoid obesity, a serious health risk as regards cardiovascular diseases and metabolic complications. The authors describe methods of assessment of body circumference and skinfolds. The degree of obesity is assessed from the body mass index (BMI) and the percentage of total body fat calculated from skinfolds measured by means of a caliper. The type of body fat distributions is usually expressed by the waist/hip ratio or by the ratio between the subscapular skinfold thickness and the skinfold above the tricept ("index of centralization"). Recently some authors advise to calculate by anthropometry also the amount of visceral fat which is a significant risk factor of cardiovascular and metabolic complications of obesity.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1989

Familial lipoprotein lipase-activity deficiency: study of total body fatness and subcutaneous fat tissue distribution.

Total body fatness and subcutaneous fat tissue distribution were evaluated in 19 hyperchylomicronemic patients. Eleven were males, aged 10 to 57 years, and eight were females, aged 13 to 46 years. Familial lipoprotein-lipase-activity deficiency was diagnosed by the absence of lipoprotein-lipase activity in the plasma withdrawn ten and 20 minutes after intravenous injection of ten units of heparin per kilogram of body weight. The 19 patients had skin-fold measurements for evaluation of subcutaneous fat distribution. Fifteen also underwent body density measurements by underwater weighing. Percent body fat was calculated from body density. These anthropometric data were plotted against the regression curves of 1638 normal controls of both sexes (aged 10 to 54 years) for fat tissue weight, percent body fat, subcutaneous fat/total fat mass ratio and trunk/extremity skin-fold ratio. Impairments in the process of building fat tissue reserves could not be shown in the 19 hyperchylomicronemic patients, in spite of the absence of lipoprotein-lipase activity in their postheparin plasma. It is hypothesized that normal fat tissue mass in these patients could be due partly to de novo synthesis of fatty acids by adipocytes, hydrolysis of plasma triglycerides by hepatic lipase, and/or contribution of a specific fat-tissue lipase to the catabolism of plasma triglyceride-rich lipoproteins.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1990

Body fat patterning in women with endometrial cancer.

It has long been known that the risks of some cancers, including endometrial, are associated with obesity. Recent evidence suggests that body fat distribution patterns also affect the risk of developing some diseases. A question that remains is whether cancers are associated with specific distributions of body fat. In this study, women with endometrial cancer were compared to community controls of similar age and race. Participants were interviewed and then measured to determine fat distribution patterns defined by the waist-to-hip circumference ratio. Women with upper body fat distribution had a 3.2-fold (95% confidence limits 1.2, 8.9) higher risk of endometrial cancer than women with lower body fat distribution even with correction for age, parity, and smoking. Obese women with an upper body fat pattern had a 5.8-fold (confidence limits 1.7, 19.9) higher risk of endometrial cancer than nonobese/lower body fat patterned women. Obese women who never smoked had a 3.3-fold statistically significant higher risk of endometrial cancer than nonobese women who never smoked. Current smokers had lower risks than their nonsmoking counterparts. The 3-fold increased risk of endometrial cancer associated with upper body fat did not disappear with adjustment for obesity and smoking.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1998

Body mass index, waist girth, and waist-to-hip ratio as indexes of total and regional adiposity in women: evaluation using receiver operating characteristic curves.

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the value of body mass index (BMI) as a screening measure for total adiposity and to examine waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference as measures of central fat distribution. Body fat reference measurements were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The study population comprised 96 healthy white women aged 16-80 y. A positive reference test was defined as a result at or above the 75th percentile for our study population for all DXA measurements. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated at several percentile cutoffs for BMI, WHR, and waist girth. The areas under the ROC curves were calculated to compare the relative ability of each anthropometric technique to correctly classify subjects according to the reference measurement for that technique. BMI (our 75th percentile = 27.3) performed well as a screening measure of total adiposity, correctly identifying 83% of subjects with a high body fat mass while misclassifying only eight subjects [four false-negatives (subjects with high fat mass who were in the low BMI category) and four false-positives (subjects with a low fat mass who were in the high BMI category)]. The screening performance of WHR (our 75th percentile = 0.81) was lower, accurately categorizing 58% of subjects while misclassifying 28 subjects. By contrast, waist circumference (our 75th percentile = 86.9 cm) was significantly better than WHR at screening for regional fat distribution, accurately classifying 83% of subjects and misclassifying eight subjects (P < 0.05). We conclude that BMI and waist circumference provide simple yet sensitive methods for the estimation of total and central adiposity in groups of adult women.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMed2003

Subcutaneous adipose tissue pattern in lean and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

The new optical device, Lipometer, permits the noninvasive, quick, safe, and precise measurement of the thickness of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) layers at any given site of the human body. Fifteen anatomically well-defined body sites from neck to calf describe the SAT topography (SAT-Top) like an individual "fingerprint." SAT-Top was examined in 33 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), in 87 age-matched healthy controls and in 20 Type-II diabetic women. SAT-Top differences of these three groups were described, and, based on a hierarchical cluster analysis, two distinctly different groups of PCOS women, a lean (PCOS(L)) and an obese (PCOS(O)) cluster, were found. For visual comparison of the different types of body fat distribution, the 15-dimensional body fat information was condensed to a two-dimensional factor plot by factor analysis. For comparison of the PCOS like body fat distribution with the "healthy" fat pattern, the (previously published) SAT-Top results of 590 healthy women and men (20-70 years old) and 162 healthy girls and boys (7-11 years old) were added to the factor plot. PCOS(O) women showed a SAT-Top pattern very similar to that of women with Type-II diabetes, even though the diabetic women were on average 30 years older. Compared with their healthy controls, SAT-Top of these PCOS(O) patients was strongly skewed into the android direction, providing significantly decreased leg SAT development and significantly higher upper body obesity. Compared with healthy women, PCOS(L) patients had significantly lower total SAT development (even though height, weight, and body mass index did not deviate significantly), showing a slightly lowered amount of body fat in the upper region and a highly significant leg SAT reduction. This type of fat pattern is the same as found in girls and boys before developing their sex specific body fat distribution. We conclude that women with PCOS develop an android SAT-Top, but compared in more detail, we found two typical types of body fat distribution: the "childlike" SAT pattern in lean PCOS patients, and the "diabetic" body fat distribution in obese PCOS women.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2006

Validation of an individualised model of human thermoregulation for predicting responses to cold air.

Most computer models of human thermoregulation are population based. Here, we individualised the Fiala model [Fiala et al. (2001) Int J Biometeorol 45:143-159] with respect to anthropometrics, body fat, and metabolic rate. The predictions of the adapted multisegmental thermoregulatory model were compared with measured skin temperatures of individuals. Data from two experiments, in which reclining subjects were suddenly exposed to mild to moderate cold environmental conditions, were used to study the effect on dynamic skin temperature responses. Body fat was measured by the three-compartment method combining underwater weighing and deuterium dilution. Metabolic rate was determined by indirect calorimetry. In experiment 1, the bias (mean difference) between predicted and measured mean skin temperature decreased from 1.8 degrees C to -0.15 degrees C during cold exposure. The standard deviation of the mean difference remained of the same magnitude (from 0.7 degrees C to 0.9 degrees C). In experiment 2 the bias of the skin temperature changed from 2.0+/-1.09 degrees C using the standard model to 1.3+/-0.93 degrees C using individual characteristics in the model. The inclusion of individual characteristics thus improved the predictions for an individual and led to a significantly smaller systematic error. However, a large part of the discrepancies in individual response to cold remained unexplained. Possible further improvements to the model accomplished by inclusion of more subject characteristics (i.e. body fat distribution, body shape) and model refinements on the level of (skin) blood perfusion, and control functions, are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Five year changes in waist circumference, body mass index and obesity in Augsburg, Germany.

AIMS: To assess temporal changes in body fat distribution, body mass index and obesity in Augsburg, Germany. METHODS: Waist circumference, weight and height were measured in two independent samples of 4804 and 4792, men and women, aged 25-74 years, in the MONICA Augsburg surveys 1989/90 and 1994/95. Abdominal obesity was defined as waist circumference greater than the 80th gender-specific percentile (men: 103, women: 92 cm) in the 1989/90 population. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) > or = 30 kg/m2. RESULTS: Age-standardized mean waist circumference increased by more than 1 cm (p-value < 0.00003) in both men and women while BMI increased by 0.3-0.4 kg/m2 (p-value < 0.01). We observed both a shift to higher values in the waist circumference distribution plus--particularly in women older than 45 years --a substantial right shift in the top of the distribution. Moreover, survey participants in 1994/95 who were at the higher end of the BMI distributions were disproportionately more obese than their respective peers in 1989/90. The prevalence of abdominal obesity rose by 3.3% in men and 3.6% in women, while the prevalence of obesity rose by 2% from 17% in men and by 2.5% from 19% in women. CONCLUSIONS: While changes in the Augsburg population may not be as alarming as in other countries, the secular increase in waist circumferences in both men and women occurring over a short time period indicates a need for prevention given the already high absolute weight, BMI and waist circumference levels in the population.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Coronary heart disease risks and lifestyle behaviors in persons with HIV infection.

Metabolic complications such as HIV-associated lipodystrophy syndrome are common in patients with HIV-1 infection who are taking highly active antiretroviral therapy. HIV-associated lipodystrophy syndrome is characterized by dyslipidemia, fat redistribution, and altered glucose metabolism; however, there has been little study of relationships between these risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) and lifestyle risks. The aims of this study were to (a) describe the physical activity levels, nutrition habits, and smoking behaviors of persons with HIV-1 infection; (b) describe their CHD risks and estimate 10-year risk for CHD outcomes; and (c) examine the relationship between potentially modifiable lifestyle behaviors and risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in persons with HIV-1 infection receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. Variables included lipid profile and other metabolic indices, body fat distribution, body mass index, blood pressure, and lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, dietary habits, smoking). A cross-sectional design and convenience sampling (n = 95) was used. Participants had multiple modifiable risk factors: 20% had a 10-year risk of 10% or higher of developing CHD. Results underscore the need for health promotion interventions to target lifestyle risks in persons with HIV-1 infection taking highly active retroviral therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Association of increased intramyocellular lipid content with insulin resistance in lean nondiabetic offspring of type 2 diabetic subjects.

Insulin resistance plays an important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes; however, the multiple mechanisms causing insulin resistance are not yet fully understood. The aim of this study was to explore the possible contribution of intramyocellular lipid content in the pathogenesis of skeletal muscle insulin resistance. We compared insulin-resistant and insulin-sensitive subjects. To meet stringent matching criteria for other known confounders of insulin resistance, these individuals were selected from an extensively metabolically characterized group of 280 first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetic subjects. Some 13 lean insulin-resistant and 13 lean insulin-sensitive subjects were matched for sex, age, BMI, percent body fat, physical fitness, and waist-to-hip ratio. Insulin sensitivity was determined by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp method (for insulin-resistant subjects, glucose metabolic clearance rate [MCR] was 5.77+/-0.28 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1) [mean +/- SE]; for insulin-sensitive subjects, MCR was 10.15+/-0.7 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1); P<0.002). Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was used to measure intramyocellular lipid content (IMCL) in both groups. MRS studies demonstrated that in soleus muscle, IMCL was increased by 84% (11.8+/-1.6 vs. 6.4+/-0.59 arbitrary units; P = 0.008 ), and in tibialis anterior muscle, IMCL was increased by 57% (3.26+/-0.36 vs. 2.08+/-0.3 arbitrary units; P = 0.017) in the insulin-resistant offspring, whereas the extramyocellular lipid content and total muscle lipid content were not statistically different between the two groups. These data demonstrate that in these well-matched groups of lean subjects, IMCL is increased in insulin-resistant offspring of type 2 diabetic subjects when compared with an insulin-sensitive group matched for age, BMI, body fat distribution, percent body fat, and degree of physical fitness. These results indicate that increased IMCL represents an early abnormality in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and suggest that increased IMCL may contribute to the defective glucose uptake in skeletal muscle in insulin-resistant subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Coronary risk profiles in men with coronary artery disease: effects of body composition, fat distribution, age and fitness.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the influence of body composition, abdominal obesity, age and fitness on coronary risk factors in populations of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). We investigated whether abdominal obesity or generalized adiposity is a better predictor of cardiovascular risk in men with coronary artery disease (CAD), and the effects of exercise training on coronary risk factors in younger and older patients with CAD. METHODS: The study population consisted of 81 male patients aged 33-83 years (mean +/- SD 60.0 +/- 13.3 years) with established CAD. We studied the relationships among body composition, body fat distribution, dietary intake, peak aerobic capacity, lipid concentrations, and plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. We subsequently measured the influence of exercise training on these components. RESULTS: The study population was characterized by a high prevalence of obesity, particularly in younger patients. Body mass index, rather than body fat distribution, was the best anthropometric predictor of plasma triglyceride concentrations (r2 = 0.11, P < 0.05) and cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (r2 = 0.13, P < 0.01). Body weight, rather than body fat distribution, was the best predictor of plasma HDL-C concentration (r2 = 0.14, P < 0.01) and fasting glucose concentrations (r2 = 0.10, P < 0.05). Fat mass was the best anthropometric predictor of fasting plasma insulin concentrations (r2 = 0.38, P < 0.0001) and for the glucose-insulin ratio (r2 = 0.39, P < 0.0001) in men with CAD. Younger patients tended to have greater improvements in HDL-C concentrations and the cholesterol:HDL-C ratio than did older individuals, as a result of exercise training. CONCLUSION: In men with CAD, general measures of obesity, such as body weight, body mass index, and fat mass are better predictors of coronary risk factors than body fat distribution. Younger and older men with CAD experienced similar improvements in body composition and body fat distribution after an exercise training program.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Fatness and fat distribution by social stratum in Venezuelan youths].

Adiposity and distribution of body fat are important issues in the prediction of degenerative diseases. Measurements of weight, height, circumferences of thigh, waist and hip; triceps, biceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds; body mass index (BMI), centripetal index (CI), waist/hip (WHR), waist/thigh (WTR) ratios and sigma skinfold thickness (sigma SK) were performed in 836 youths (373 males, 463 females) aged 11, 13 and 15 years. Analysis method included Student t test, ANOVA, Principal Component Analysis and simple linear regression model, with sigma skinfold thickness as independent variable. The sample was divided in two groups (A and B) according with Graffar-Méndez Castellano methodology. Sexual dimorphism in adiposity and differences in body fat distribution were found with a tendency towards peripherical distribution for girls and centripetal for boys. Group A (higher stratum) showed higher values of skinfolds in both trunk and extremities, and a more peripherical distribution than his peers from group B. First component from extremity/trunk and second component from upper/inferior trunk distribution explained 40.2% and 32.7% of the variability respectively. CI and WHR appear dependent from BMI, WHR showed independence from BMI, although significant differences was found by social stratum, reflecting differences in fat topography in boys and girls from group B. These results confirm more adiposity in group A and a tendency towards central distribution in group B. Studies of body fat distribution during these age should include waist/thigh ratio.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2003

Effects of pioglitazone versus diet and exercise on metabolic health and fat distribution in upper body obesity.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin resistance is associated with visceral adiposity, and interventions that reduce this depot, e.g., diet and exercise, improve insulin resistance. Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) also improve insulin action but paradoxically increase total fat mass, perhaps through remodeling (recruitment of smaller fat cells) and redistribution of adipose tissue. We assessed the effects of pioglitazone versus diet and exercise on fat distribution and the relationship between fat distribution and insulin sensitivity in upper body obesity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Thirty-nine upper body obese, insulin-resistant, nondiabetic men and premenopausal women were randomly assigned to receive either 30 mg/day pioglitazone or a diet and exercise program for 20 weeks. Before and after the intervention, insulin sensitivity, body composition, body fat distribution (waist-to-hip ratio [WHR], computed tomography abdomen, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), and abdominal and femoral fat cell size were assessed. RESULTS: Diet and exercise resulted in an 11.8 +/- 1.1 kg weight loss. Both diet and exercise and pioglitazone improved insulin sensitivity, but only the former was associated with loss of intra-abdominal fat. Pioglitazone increased total body fat, which preferentially accumulated in the lower body depot in both men and women. WHRs decreased in both groups. Abdominal fat cell size decreased (P = 0.06) after diet and exercise. No statistically significant changes in fat cell size were observed in pioglitazone-treated volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: In nondiabetic upper body obese subjects, increasing insulin sensitivity via diet and exercise accompanies reductions in visceral fat. Pioglitazone treatment also improves insulin sensitivity and lowers WHR, but this is due to a selective increase in lower body fat. This confirms a site-specific responsiveness of adipose tissue to TZD and suggests that improvements in insulin sensitivity by pioglitazone are achieved independent of changes in intra-abdominal fat.

Adipocytes↗
PubMed2004

Current and adolescent body fatness and fat distribution: relationships with carotid intima-media thickness and large artery stiffness at the age of 36 years.

OBJECTIVE: Body fat and its distribution are determinants of cardiovascular disease but the underlying mechanisms of these adverse effects are poorly understood. We therefore investigated (1) the cross-sectional relationship between estimates of body fatness and its distribution on the one hand and carotid atherosclerosis and stiffness of the carotid, femoral and brachial arteries and the carotido-femoral segment on the other (336 subjects, 175 women); (2) the relationship between estimates of body fatness and its distribution during adolescence (13-16 years) and the same arterial properties at age 36- prospective analyses (subpopulation of 159 subjects, 84 girls). DESIGN: Cross-sectional and prospective analyses within an ongoing observational longitudinal study: The Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study. METHODS: Body fatness and its distribution were assessed by anthropometry and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); arterial properties were assessed non-invasively by ultrasound imaging. RESULTS: Total adiposity and, in men, truncal subcutaneous fat accumulation during adolescence, were positively and independently associated with carotid intima-media thickness at age 36, a pre-clinical indicator of atherosclerosis. Adolescent truncal subcutaneous fat accumulation but not total adiposity was associated with increased arterial stiffness at age 36. At age 36, both abdominal and truncal subcutaneous fat were independently associated with arterial stiffness, while the associations between total adiposity and arterial stiffness appeared to be mediated by other cardiovascular risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Body fatness and body fat distribution are associated with large artery structural and functional properties at age 36 and the roots of these associations may already be present in adolescence.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1997

Genetic influences on the response of body fat and fat distribution to positive and negative energy balances in human identical twins.

This article summarizes a series of intervention studies conducted with pairs of young adult male identical twins and designed to determine whether there is any evidence for genotype x overfeeding or genotype x negative energy balance interaction effects in the changes in body weight, body composition, fat distribution, computerized tomography-assessed abdominal visceral fat, resting metabolic rate and thermic response to a standardized meal of mixed composition brought about by chronic exposure to appropriate experimental treatments. These studies demonstrated that individual differences in response to chronic alterations in energy balance are common. The comparison of the heterogeneity in response between the pairs of twins in contrast to the variance within pairs revealed that members of the same twin pair are significantly more alike than individuals who are not genetically related by descent. The intrapair resemblance in response was particularly strong for the changes in body mass, body composition, subcutaneous fat distribution and abdominal visceral fat. In contrast, the results of two long-term intervention studies showed that variations in resting metabolic rate following exposure to chronic overfeeding or negative energy balance induced by exercise were accounted for primarily by the changes in body mass. Finally, the thermic response to food was not modified by any of the experimental treatments. On the basis of these observations, we conclude that there are individuals at risk of gaining weight and body fat or who are resistant to weight loss. These differences in susceptibility to chronic overfeeding or in sensitivity to negative energy balance seem to be largely explained by genetic factors whose exact nature remains to be determined.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2006

Reported food intake and distribution of body fat: a repeated cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Body mass, as well as distribution of body fat, are predictors of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In Northern Sweden, despite a marked increase in average body mass, prevalence of diabetes was stagnant and myocardial infarctions decreased. A more favourable distribution of body fat is a possible contributing factor. This study investigates the relative importance of individual food items for time trends in waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) on a population level. METHODS: Independent cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1999 in the two northernmost counties of Sweden with a common population of 250,000. Randomly selected age stratified samples, altogether 2982 men and 3087 women aged 25-64 years. Questionnaires were completed and anthropometric measurements taken. For each food item, associations between frequency of consumption and waist and hip circumferences were estimated. Partial regression coefficients for every level of reported intake were multiplied with differences in proportion of the population reporting the corresponding levels of intake in 1986 and 1999. The sum of these product terms for every food item was the respective estimated impact on mean circumference. RESULTS: Time trends in reported food consumption associated with the more favourable gynoid distribution of adipose tissue were increased use of vegetable oil, pasta and 1.5% fat milk. Trends associated with abdominal obesity were increased consumption of beer in men and higher intake of hamburgers and French fried potatoes in women. CONCLUSION: Food trends as markers of time trends in body fat distribution have been identified. The method is a complement to conventional approaches to establish associations between food intake and disease risk on a population level.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Fat distribution and plasminogen activator inhibitor activity in nondiabetic obese women.

Epidemiologic data strongly suggest that upper distribution of body fat and high plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) activity are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, a link between these two parameters was evaluated by studying 51 menstrually active nondiabetic obese women. In this group positive correlations were observed between body mass index (BMI), waist to hip circumference ratio (W/H ratio, which estimates body fat distribution), plasma insulin, and PAI activity. In addition, plasma triglycerides were related to the W/H ratio and insulin and PAI activity. Partial correlations revealed that BMI was independently and solely related to W/H ratio, which was also independently related to plasma insulin, which in turn related to PAI activity. These results suggest that upper body fat distribution acts as a risk factor of cardiovascular disease through its association with high PAI activity.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Factor analysis of risk variables associated with metabolic syndrome in Asian Indian adolescents.

The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to identify components of risk variables associated with metabolic syndrome in Asian Indian adolescents. The sample included 400 adolescents (boys = 200; mean age, 15.0 +/- 4.5 years; girls = 200; mean age, 14.4 +/- 3.8 years) from Calcutta, India. The following variables were considered: body mass index, waist circumference, sum of four skinfolds, subscapular/triceps ratio, total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood glucose, and systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure. Principal component factor analysis revealed four uncorrelated factors for adolescent boys that cumulatively explained 76.3% of the observed variance of metabolic syndrome. Four factors with overlap between factors 1 and 2 were observed for adolescent girls that cumulatively explained 74.3% of the total variation of metabolic syndrome. The four factors identified were central body fat distribution (factor 1), centralized subcutaneous fat (factor 2), lipids-blood glucose (factor 3), and blood pressure (factor 4). Furthermore, the first two factors, i.e., central body fat distribution and centralized subcutaneous fat, cumulatively explained more than 46% (46.5% for boys; 46.4% for girls) of the observed variation of metabolic syndrome. Since more than one factor was identified for metabolic syndrome, more than one physiological mechanism could account for the clustering of risk variables of metabolic syndrome in Asian Indian adolescents. Factor analysis of Asian Indian adults also revealed four uncorrelated factors, similar to the present factors, therefore warranting intervention as early as adolescence.

Adolescent↗