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. 2021 Feb;16(2):e12704.
doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12704. Epub 2020 Aug 6.

Associations of DXA-measured abdominal adiposity with cardio-metabolic risk and related markers in early adolescence in Project Viva

Allison J Wu  1   2 , Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman  1 , Elsie M Taveras  3   4 , Emily Oken  1   4 , Marie-France Hivert  1
Affiliations

Associations of DXA-measured abdominal adiposity with cardio-metabolic risk and related markers in early adolescence in Project Viva

Allison J Wu et al. Pediatr Obes. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Increased visceral adipose tissue (VAT) precedes development of insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in adults. The associations of abdominal adiposity derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), including VAT, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) and total abdominal adipose tissue (TAAT) with cardio-metabolic risk in adolescents are understudied.

Objectives: We examined the cross-sectional associations of DXA-measured abdominal adiposity with cardio-metabolic risk and related markers in early adolescence (mean [SD] age 13.0 [0.7] years).

Methods: We collected data from 740 adolescents (374 girls and 366 boys) in Project Viva, a U.S. pre-birth cohort. We used DXA estimates of VAT, SAAT and TAAT area. We conducted overall and sex-stratified linear regression models, adjusting for age, sex (in overall models), race/ethnicity, puberty score and body mass index (BMI) z-score.

Results: Mean BMI z-score was 0.59 (1.28). After adjustment, greater VAT (per 1 SD score) was associated with higher metabolic risk z-score (β 0.14 units; 95% CI 0.08, 0.20), higher log high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (β 0.51 mg/L; 0.36, 0.66) and log leptin (β 0.36 ng/mL; 0.27, 0.44), and lower log adiponectin (β -0.08 ug/mL; -0.13, -0.02). SAAT and TAAT showed similar associations as VAT with comparable or greater effect sizes.

Conclusion: In early adolescence, DXA-measured VAT, SAAT and TAAT are associated with cardio-metabolic risk and related markers, independent of current BMI. Among two adolescents with the same BMI, there is an associated higher cardio-metabolic risk in the adolescent with greater DXA-measured abdominal adiposity.

Keywords: adiposity; adolescence; epidemiology; metabolism; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest Statement

We have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Cross-sectional associations of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT), and total abdominal adipose tissue (TAAT) sex-specific standard deviation score (SDS) with metabolic risk z-score, β (95%CI) Model 1. Unadjusted Model 2. Adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, puberty score Model 3. Additionally adjusted for BMI z-score
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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