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PubMed1994

[Does long-term blood pressure reduction in patients with essential hypertension improve concomitant metabolic disorders?].

AIM: Aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of metabolic abnormalities in patients with newly diagnosed essential hypertension and to assess the effects of a blood pressure lowering drug therapy on the respective variables. PATIENTS AND RESULTS: Twenty-six hypertensive subjects (12 female, 14 male) were included in the study. Twenty-one normotensive subjects (9 female, 12 male) served as a control group. During an oral glucose tolerance test the hypertensive subjects had higher blood glucose and serum insulin levels than the controls. The hypertensive patients also showed higher triglyceride concentrations and a more abdominal pattern of body fat distribution. In addition, the women with essential hypertension exhibited a higher free androgen index (32.2 +/- 14.8 vs 20.1 +/- 15.0%, p < 0.05) than the women of the control group. After a 3 to 6 month treatment period with nifedipine or nitrendipine the elevated blood pressure of the hypertensives was significantly reduced. In a second glucose tolerance test carried out in 13 patients blood glucose, serum insulin and triglyceride concentrations were significantly lower compared to the pretreatment period. The other metabolic and hormonal variables remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: This observation raises the question, whether a long-term vasodilatating antihypertensive therapy can improve the metabolic abnormalities found in patients with essential hypertension.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Caloric restriction, body fat and ageing in experimental models.

Caloric restriction in animal models delays many age-related pathological conditions. Ageing rats have characteristically increased body weight, fat mass and a specific body fat distribution. This report will focus on the potential cause-effect relationship between increased fat mass and accelerated ageing. In humans, increased fat mass (obesity), and in particular increases in abdominal obesity as a result of deposition of visceral fat, are associated with the metabolic syndrome of ageing. This syndrome is associated with hyperinsulinaemia, dyslipidaemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, hypercoagulability and hypertension. Fat tissue, however, plays a major role by secreting multiple metabolically active factors, which are potentially responsible for the development of insulin resistance. This article will review various experimental models (in animals) used to prevent insulin resistance of ageing by decreasing fat mass, and in particular, decreasing visceral fat. We suggest that this decrease in fat mass and its beneficial repercussions observed in ageing animal models may apply also to human ageing and its related pathology.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1996

Insulin secretion and resistance in nondiabetic Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites with a parental history of diabetes.

Both insulin resistance and decreased insulin secretion have been hypothesized as precursors of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). However, there are few data on insulin resistance and secretion in relationship to parental history of diabetes in ethnic groups at different risks for NIDDM. We examined the relationship of fasting insulin (as a marker of insulin resistance) and the ratio of the 30-min change in insulin to the 30-min change in glucose (delta I30/delta G30) during an oral glucose tolerance test (as a marker of insulin secretion) in relation to parental history of diabetes in 1672 nondiabetic Mexican Americans and 894 nondiabetic non-Hispanic whites. A parental history of diabetes was associated with increased fasting insulin concentrations. The association between decreased insulin secretion and parental history of diabetes was not significant. However, when insulin resistance and insulin secretion were included in the same regression model, both fasting insulin (odds ratio = 1.80; 95% confidence interval = 1.17, 2.76) and decreased insulin secretion (odds ratio = 0.70, 95% confidence interval = 0.52, 0.95) were significantly associated with a parental history of diabetes. These results were little changed after adjustment for obesity, body fat distribution, and glucose tolerance. These results were similar in both Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites and in both subjects with impaired and those with normal glucose tolerance. A parental history of diabetes in both Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites is associated with both increased fasting insulin and decreased delta I30/delta G30. These data suggest that both increased insulin resistance and early decreased insulin secretion in response to an oral glucose challenge may be important factors in the pathogenesis of NIDDM in populations at high and low risk of NIDDM. Our results also emphasize the importance of adjusting for insulin resistance in evaluating insulin secretion.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Height, leg length, adiposity and metabolic-cardiovascular risk in women aged 35-55 years].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative importance of the components of height in the evaluation of the adiposity and the cardiovascular and metabolic risk profile in women aged 35-55 years. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. 30 healthy women were recruited. Components of height (total height, trunk length, leg length) was compared with body mass index (BMI), body fat, and different measures of central adiposity: waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and sagittal abdominal diameter. Metabolic-cardiovascular risk was assessed by serum levels of glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol; and systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures. Biological factors and socio-economic status influences was evaluated. RESULTS: Glucose levels were inversely associated with height (r = -0.395; p < 0.05). When analyzing this association for components of height, glucose was negatively related to leg length (r = -0.447; p < 0.05) and showed no association with trunk length or the superior segment. The height or its components were not significantly related to BMI, percentage of body fat, estimators of body fat distribution, blood pressure or the rest of metabolic parameters. Education level was associated with leg length (r = 0.390; p = 0.037) and negatively related to glucose levels (r = -0.517; p = 0.004) and other risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the hypothesis that adiposity is conditioned by weight and that stature is inversely related to risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disorders in women aged 35-55 years, and suggest that legs length is the component of stature that conditions this result and that socio-economic status influences in this association. Factors which might explain this association remain to be determined.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1992

Clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in confirmed prehypertensive individuals.

Numerous studies have indicated that hypertensive subjects have an atherogenic lipoprotein pattern, hyperinsulinemia, and impaired glucose tolerance relative to normotensive individuals. These abnormalities could be due to adverse effects of certain antihypertensive agents, to pathophysiological concomitants of the hypertensive state itself, or to both. In this report, we describe the cardiovascular risk factor profile of 1,440 subjects who were normotensive and were not taking any antihypertensive medications when first examined and who subsequently participated in the 8-year follow-up of the San Antonio Heart Study. Hypertension developed in 130 subjects during the follow-up period. At baseline these prehypertensive individuals had significantly higher levels of blood pressure, fasting total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, and insulin, and 2-hour glucose than those who remained free of hypertension. In addition, they had higher body mass indexes, a less favorable body fat distribution, and lower levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol. In multiple linear regression analyses, baseline levels of triglyceride and blood pressure remained significantly higher and high density lipoprotein cholesterol remained significantly lower in the subjects who later converted to hypertension than in those who remained normotensive. Although baseline insulin levels were also higher in the prehypertensive subjects, this difference was not statistically significant. In nonobese subjects, however, those with high baseline insulin concentrations had an increased incidence of hypertension compared with those with low insulin concentrations. The present results suggest that the cluster of atherogenic changes associated with hypertension actually precede the development of the hypertensive state.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Abdominal obesity and breast cancer risk.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine if body fat distribution affects breast cancer risk. DESIGN: Prospective case-control study. PATIENTS: The anthropometric measurements of 216 consecutively and newly diagnosed women with invasive carcinoma of the breast were compared with those of 432 age-matched controls. The anthropometric measurements taken were abdomen, thigh, suprailiac, biceps, triceps, subscapular, and midaxillary skinfolds; waist and hip circumference; and weight and height. Women between 25 and 83 years of age were included in the study. RESULTS: Patients with breast cancer had a significantly greater waist:hip circumference ratio than controls (P less than 0.001) and a significantly greater suprailiac:thigh skinfold ratio (P less than 0.001). The relative risk for breast cancer increased with increasing waist:hip circumference ratio (less than 0.73 = 1.00; 0.73 to 76 = 1.90; 0.77 to 0.80 = 2.83; greater than 0.80 = 6.46) and with suprailiac:thigh skinfold ratio (less than 0.42 = 1.00; 0.42 to 0.56 = 1.85; 0.57 to 0.71 = 2.25; greater than 0.71 = 5.85). At other sites of upper body obesity, such as the biceps and triceps, skinfolds were significantly greater in patients with breast cancer. CONCLUSION: Although obese women are at slightly higher risk for developing breast cancer, women with android obesity are a segment of obese women who appear to be at a significantly higher risk for developing breast cancer.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1997

Obesity and mortality: a review of the epidemiologic data.

At least one-third of Americans are obese, as defined by body mass indexes corresponding to body weight > or = 120% of ideal body weight, and this figure is rising steadily. Women and nonwhites have particularly high rates of obesity. Obesity greatly increases risks for many serious and morbid conditions, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease, and some cancers. Obesity is clearly associated with increased risk for mortality, but there has been controversy regarding optimal weight with respect to mortality risk. We review the literature concerning obesity and mortality, with reference to body fat distribution and weight gain, and consider potential effects of sex, age, and race on this relation. We conclude that when appropriate adjustments are made for effects of smoking and underlying disease, optimal weights are below average in both men and women; this appears to be true throughout the adult life span. Central obesity, most commonly approximated by the waist-to-hip ratio, may be particularly detrimental, although this requires further study. Weight gain in adulthood is also associated with increased mortality. These observations support public health measures to reduce obesity and weight gain, including recent recommendations to limit weight gain in the adult years to 4.5 kg (10 lb).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Stability over time of modern diagnostic criteria for type II diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the long-term stability of the World Health Organization criteria for diabetes in the 8-yr follow-up of the San Antonio Heart Study. A problem with older criteria for diagnosing diabetes was that many individuals classified as having borderline or chemical diabetes reverted to nondiabetic status on follow-up. Few studies have addressed this issue among diabetic patients who meet the more stringent, modern National Diabetes Data Group or World Health Organization criteria. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We studied 98 Mexican-American and 44 non-Hispanic white type II diabetic patients 8 yr after they were diagnosed according to World Health Organization criteria in a population-based epidemiological survey. Patients were classified as follows: whether they were on pharmacological treatment for diabetes at baseline, or, if not, whether they had a prior diagnosis of diabetes at the time of their baseline survey visit or were newly diagnosed. RESULTS: Of the 142 patients who met the study criteria for type II diabetes at baseline and whose status at follow-up was known, 20 (14.1%; 95% confidence interval 9.0-20.5%) no longer met criteria at follow-up 8 yr later. All but 2 of those who reverted to nondiabetic status were from the newly diagnosed group. Two of 20 had lost more than 5.0 kg over the 8 yr and an additional 5 had lost 2.5-5.0 kg. The 20 patients who reverted to nondiabetic status lacked many of the associated anthropometric, physiological, and metabolic findings of diabetes such as obesity, unfavorable body fat distribution, and dyslipidemia. Moreover, only one had proteinuria, and none had any grade of diabetic retinopathy at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiological surveys that rely on a single oral glucose tolerance test to determine the prevalence of type II diabetes may overestimate prevalence by as much as 16% (95% confidence interval 10.5-23.6%) (142/122 = 1.16). The actual overestimate could well be less because some patients who truly have diabetes at baseline may be in remission at follow-up as a result of significant weight loss. Despite these difficulties, the modern National Diabetes Data Group and World Health Organization criteria are more stable than earlier criteria.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Relationships between fasting plasma insulin, anthropometrics, and metabolic parameters in a very old healthy population. Associazione Medica Sabin.

Several studies have shown that insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are associated with many metabolic disorders predisposing to coronary heart disease (CHD). This syndrome has been termed syndrome X. However, it is not completely known whether these relationships are still present in the elderly, or whether other factors such as age, gender, and body fat distribution modulate them. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between fasting plasma insulin, total and regional adiposity, fasting plasma glucose and lipids, plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), fibrinogen, and coagulation factor VII in a sample of 100 healthy free-living octogenarians-nonagenarians (52 men and 48 women) who were disability-free according to the Katz index. By univariate analysis, fasting insulin correlated positively with all anthropometric measures except the waist to hip ratio (WHR) in women. There was a positive correlation between fasting insulin and fasting glucose (r=.40, P < .01), plasma triglycerides ([TGs] r=.21, P < .05), and PAI-1 levels (r=.33, P < .01), whereas a negative relation was found with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein, A-I (apo A-I) levels (r=-.22 and =-.24, respectively, P < .05). These relationships were weaker and less significant in women. In pooled data, stepwise multiple regression analysis showed an independent relationship of both the body mass index (BMI) and fasting insulin level with TGs (R2=.14), while gender and fasting insulin were the best predictors of HDL-C variance (R2=.17). Furthermore, fasting insulin was the only variable independently related to PAI-1 (R2=.12). Our findings support the existence of a metabolic syndrome even in very old age by showing that high insulin levels are related to various metabolic and hemostatic disorders.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1996

Metabolic effects of the menopause and oestrogen replacement.

There is little doubt that the metabolic disturbances seen following the loss of ovarian function are most important in the development of cardiovascular disease in women. The loss of hormones at the menopause appears to reduce both insulin secretion and elimination, but increasing insulin resistance thereafter brings about an increase in circulating insulin concentrations. Changes in lipids and lipoproteins are in an adverse direction, as are changes in body fat distribution, and changes in haemostatic factors would tend to favour coagulation rather than fibrinolysis. HRT with oestrogen appears to improve most of the metabolic abnormalities related to the menopause, but this is in part dependent on the type of oestrogen used and the route of administration. The addition of progestogen may influence the metabolic changes induced by oestrogens, and this will vary according to the type of the progestogen. Overall, the metabolic effects of any of the current HRT regimens would seem likely to be beneficial for CHD. Nevertheless, future HRT regimens should ideally be tailored to produce the most favourable changes in CHD metabolic risk factors, particularly in the case of the regimens which attempt to avoid cyclical bleeding.

Blood Coagulation↗
PubMed1992

Prospective analysis of the insulin-resistance syndrome (syndrome X).

Many studies have shown that hyperinsulinemia and/or insulin resistance are related to various metabolic and physiological disorders including hypertension, dyslipidemia, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. This syndrome has been termed Syndrome X. An important limitation of previous studies has been that they all have been cross sectional, and thus the presence of insulin resistance could be a consequence of the underlying metabolic disorders rather than its cause. We examined the relationship of fasting insulin concentration (as an indicator of insulin resistance) to the incidence of multiple metabolic abnormalities in the 8-yr follow-up of the cohort enrolled in the San Antonio Heart Study, a population-based study of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites. In univariate analyses, fasting insulin was related to the incidence of the following conditions: hypertension, decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration, increased triglyceride concentration, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Hyperinsulinemia was not related to increased low-density lipoprotein or total cholesterol concentration. In multivariate analyses, after adjustment for obesity and body fat distribution, fasting insulin continued to be significantly related to the incidence of decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased triglyceride concentrations and to the incidence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Baseline insulin concentrations were higher in subjects who subsequently developed multiple metabolic disorders. These results were not attributable to differences in baseline obesity and were similar in Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites. These results support the existence of a metabolic syndrome and the relationship of that syndrome to multiple metabolic disorders by showing that elevations of insulin concentration precede the development of numerous metabolic disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

The relationship between physical fitness and physical activity during adolescence and cardiovascular disease risk factors at adult age. The Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between physical activity and physical fitness during adolescence (between 13 and 16 years of age) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors at adult age (32 years). The following CVD risk factors were considered: lipoprotein levels (total serum cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), the TC:HDL ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and indicators for body fatness and body fat distribution (sum of four skinfolds, waist to hip ratio, waist circumference). The data were derived from the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study, an observational longitudinal study in which eight repeated measurements were carried out over a period of 20 years. Physical fitness (measured by maximal oxygen uptake per kg bodyweight and by maximal slope reached on a treadmill test) during adolescence was related to a healthy CVD risk profile at the age of 32 years (i. e. inversely to the sum of four skinfolds, waist circumference and to total serum cholesterol). Physical activity during adolescence was not related to a healthy CVD risk profile at the age of 32 years.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Genetic variation in the visfatin gene (PBEF1) and its relation to glucose metabolism and fat-depot-specific messenger ribonucleic acid expression in humans.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Visfatin is a peptide suggested to play a role in glucose homeostasis. In the present study, we investigated the role of genetic variation in the visfatin gene in the pathophysiology of obesity/type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). DESIGN: The visfatin gene (PBEF1) was sequenced in DNA samples from 24 nonrelated Caucasian subjects. Identified genetic variants were used for association analyses of T2DM in a case-control study (503 diabetic subjects and 476 healthy controls) and T2DM-related traits in 626 nondiabetic subjects. The effect of genetic variation in the visfatin gene on its mRNA expression in a subgroup of 157 nondiabetic subjects with measurements of visfatin mRNA expression in visceral and sc fat depots was also analyzed. RESULTS: Seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and one insertion/deletion were identified. Three SNPs (rs9770242, -948G-->T, rs4730153) that were representatives of their linkage disequilibrium groups were genotyped in Caucasians from Germany with a wide range of body fat distribution and insulin sensitivity for association analyses. No association of T2DM with any of the genotyped SNPs or their haplotypes was found. However, the ratio of visceral/sc visfatin mRNA expression was associated with all three genetic polymorphisms (P < 0.05). Moreover, the -948G-->T variant was associated with 2-h plasma glucose and fasting insulin concentrations (P < 0.05) in nondiabetic subjects. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our data suggest that genetic variation in the visfatin gene may have a minor effect on visceral and sc visfatin mRNA expression profiles but does not play a major role in the development of obesity or T2DM.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2000

Effect of ritonavir on lipids and post-heparin lipase activities in normal subjects.

BACKGROUND: Intensive therapy of HIV infection with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) dramatically reduces viral loads and improves immune status. Abnormalities of lipid levels, body fat distribution, and insulin resistance have been commonly reported after starting HAART. Whether the lipid abnormalities result from changes in metabolism after an improvement in HIV status or are partly attributable to the effects of protease inhibitor use is unknown. METHODS: Twenty-one healthy volunteers participated in a 2 week double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the effect of the protease inhibitor ritonavir on total lipids, apolipoproteins, and post-heparin plasma lipase activities. RESULTS: Those taking ritonavir (n = 11) had significantly higher levels of plasma triglyceride, VLDL cholesterol, IDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein (a) compared with placebo (n = 8). HDL cholesterol was lower with therapy as a result of a reduction in HDL3 cholesterol. Post-heparin lipoprotein lipase (LpL) activity did not change but hepatic lipase activity decreased 20% (P < 0.01) in those taking ritonavir-compared with placebo. Although all lipoprotein subfractions became triglyceride enriched, most of the increase in triglyceride was in VLDL and not in IDL particles. CONCLUSION: Treatment with ritonavir in the absence of HIV infection or changes in body composition results in hypertriglyceridemia that is apparently not mediated by impaired LpL activity or the defective removal of remnant lipoproteins, but could be caused by enhanced formation of VLDL. Long-term studies of patients with HIV infection receiving HAART will be necessary to determine the impact of these drugs and associated dyslipidemia on the risk of coronary artery disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Intra-abdominal fat is a major determinant of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria for the metabolic syndrome.

The underlying pathophysiology of the metabolic syndrome is the subject of debate, with both insulin resistance and obesity considered as important factors. We evaluated the differential effects of insulin resistance and central body fat distribution in determining the metabolic syndrome as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III. In addition, we determined which NCEP criteria were associated with insulin resistance and central adiposity. The subjects, 218 healthy men (n = 89) and women (n = 129) with a broad range of age (26-75 years) and BMI (18.4-46.8 kg/m2), underwent quantification of the insulin sensitivity index (Si) and intra-abdominal fat (IAF) and subcutaneous fat (SCF) areas. The metabolic syndrome was present in 34 (15.6%) of subjects who had a lower Si [median: 3.13 vs. 6.09 x 10(-5) min(-1)/(pmol/l)] and higher IAF (166.3 vs. 79.1 cm2) and SCF (285.1 vs. 179.8 cm2) areas compared with subjects without the syndrome (P < 0.001). Multivariate models including Si, IAF, and SCF demonstrated that each parameter was associated with the syndrome. However, IAF was independently associated with all five of the metabolic syndrome criteria. In multivariable models containing the criteria as covariates, waist circumference and triglyceride levels were independently associated with Si and IAF and SCF areas (P < 0.001). Although insulin resistance and central body fat are both associated with the metabolic syndrome, IAF is independently associated with all of the criteria, suggesting that it may have a pathophysiological role. Of the NCEP criteria, waist circumference and triglycerides may best identify insulin resistance and visceral adiposity in individuals with a fasting plasma glucose <6.4 mmol/l.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1995

Metabolic characteristics of African descendants: a comparative study of African-Americans and Ghanaian immigrants using minimal model analysis.

We have previously demonstrated that glucose-tolerant American blacks manifest significantly higher insulin concentrations and a lower insulin sensitivity than native African blacks who reside in their respective countries. It is, however, unknown whether the serum glucose, beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity are different in native Africans and African-Americans who reside in the same environments. We have studied 68 healthy American blacks and age- and weight-matched 30 African blacks recently immigrated from Ghana residing in Franklin County, Ohio, USA. Each subject underwent a standard oral glucose tolerance test to determine glucose tolerance status. Insulin sensitivity index (Si) and glucose effectiveness (Sg) were measured by the insulin-modified, frequently-sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. The body composition variables were measured by the bioelectrical impedance analyser and body fat distribution pattern by the waist-hip ratio. The clinical characteristics were identical in the African-American and the African blacks; the mean fasting serum glucose, insulin and C-peptide levels were not different. Following the oral and intravenous glucose administration, the mean peak and incremental areas of serum glucose, insulin and C-peptide were not different in the two groups. The mean Si (3.1 +/- 0.7 vs 2.4 +/- 0.3 x 10(-4).(min/microU.1-1)-1 and Sg (2.5 +/- 0.3 vs 2.7 +/- 0.2 x 10(-2).min-1) were not significantly different in the American and African blacks, respectively. In summary, the metabolic parameters measured in the American blacks and recent African immigrants were identical.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1999

Molecular mechanism of metabolic syndrome X: contribution of adipocytokines adipocyte-derived bioactive substances.

Syndrome X is a clinical syndrome in which multiple risks cluster in an individual, and it is a common basis of vascular disease in the industrial countries. The molecular basis of Syndrome X, however, has not been elucidated. We have analyzed body fat distribution using CT scan and have shown that people who have accumulated intra-abdominal visceral fat frequently have multiple risks and vascular diseases. Thus, "visceral fat syndrome" is a clinical entity compatible with Syndrome X. To clarify the molecular mechanism of the disorders in visceral fat syndrome, we analyzed the expressed genes in adipose tissue by a large-scale random sequencing. Unexpectedly, visceral fat expressed a variety of the genes for secretory proteins including various bioactive substances; we designated them adipocytokines. One of them, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, was overproduced in accumulated visceral fat and might contribute to the development of vascular disease. We have also cloned a novel adipose-specific gene named adiponectin. Adiponectin is a collagen-like plasma protein which has an inhibitory effect on proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells; its plasma levels are paradoxically decreased in obesity. Adipocytokines may play important roles in the development of the disorders in Syndrome X.

Adipocytes↗
PubMed1995

Resting metabolic rate and cardiovascular disease risk in resistance- and aerobic-trained middle-aged women.

OBJECTIVE: To examine differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) and cardiovascular disease risk in middle-aged women differing in training status. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SUBJECTS: Fifty-four healthy middle-aged women characterized as resistance-trained (RT; n = 8; 43 +/- 3 yrs), aerobic-trained (AT; n = 12; 42 +/- 5 yrs) or untrained (UT; n = 34; 44 +/- 4 yrs) according to habitual exercise practices. MEASUREMENTS: RMR, substrate oxidation, body composition, body fat distribution, supine blood pressure, peak oxygen consumption (peak VO2), dietary intake and fasting levels of plasma lipids and hormones. RESULTS: RMR was higher (P < 0.01) in AT and RT women compared to UT women, independent of differences in fat-free mass. No differences in RMR were noted between RT and AT groups. No differences in estimated rates of carbohydrate or fat oxidation were noted among groups. RT women displayed lower plasma cholesterol (P < 0.01), LDL-C (P < 0.01) and supine diastolic blood pressure (P < 0.05) compared to UT and AT women. No differences, however, were noted among groups for triglycerides, HDL-C, supine systolic blood pressure or the insulin to glucose ratio. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that fat mass accounted for the greatest portion of the variation in plasma cholesterol and LDL-C. Statistical control for fat mass diminished differences in these variables among the groups. CONCLUSION: (1) Resting energy requirements are higher in AT and RT middle-aged women compared to UT women, and (2) the lower fasting cholesterol and LDL-C in RT middle-aged women were primarily related to their lower amount of body fat.

Adult↗