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. 2017 Sep 28;12(9):e0185403.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185403. eCollection 2017.

Body fat distribution, in particular visceral fat, is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in obese women

Theodora W Elffers  1   2 , Renée de Mutsert  1 , Hildo J Lamb  3 , Albert de Roos  3 , Ko Willems van Dijk  4   5 , Frits R Rosendaal  1 , J Wouter Jukema  2 , Stella Trompet  2   6
Affiliations

Body fat distribution, in particular visceral fat, is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in obese women

Theodora W Elffers et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Body fat distribution is, next to overall obesity, an important risk factor for cardiometabolic outcomes in the general population. In particular, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is strongly associated with cardiometabolic risk factors. Since it is unclear whether body fat distribution is also important in men and women with obesity we investigated the associations between measures of body fat distribution and cardiometabolic risk factors in men and women with obesity.

Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis of obese men and women (BMI≥30 kg/m2) included in the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity Study, waist:hip ratio(WHR), waist circumference, and MRI-based abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (aSAT) and VAT were determined. Associations between measures of body fat distribution and presence of ≥1 risk factor, such as hypertension or hypertriglyceridemia, were examined using logistic regression analyses; stratified by sex and adjusted for age, ethnicity, education, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity and depending on the association additionally for total body fat or VAT.

Results: We included 2,983 obese individuals (57% women) with a mean age of 56 and standard deviation (SD) of 6 and mean BMI of 34.0 kg/m2 (4.0), after exclusion of individuals with missing values of cardiometabolic risk factors (n = 33). 241 individuals were obese without other cardiometabolic risk factors. In obese women, all measures of body fat distribution except aSAT (OR per SD:0.76, 95%CI: 0.53, 1.10) were associated with having ≥1 cardiometabolic risk factor, of which VAT most strongly associated (5.77; 3.02, 11.01). In obese men, associations of body fat distribution and the presence of cardiometabolic risk factors were attenuated. (e.g. VAT:1.42; 0.84, 2.41).

Conclusions: In obese women, but less so in men, measures of body fat distribution, of which VAT most strongly, are associated with cardiometabolic risk factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Association of measures of body fat distribution on having at least one cardiometabolic risk factor.
Data are presented as odds ratio (95% CI) per standard deviation of measure of body fat distribution in men and women. WHR, waist:hip ratio; WC, waist circumference; aSAT, abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue; VAT, visceral adipose tissue adjusted for age, ethnicity, education, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity. Associations of WHR, WC and VAT are additionally adjusted for total body fat and associations of aSAT additionally for VAT.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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