J Korean Acad Fam Med.  2006 Oct;27(10):815-821.

Visceral Abdominal Fat as a Determinant of Arterial Stiffness in Overweight and Obese Women

• Lee JW
• Lee HR
• Shim J
• Kim SH
• Im JA
• Lee DC

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Increased abdominal obesity is clearly associated with metabolic diseases and associated with increased risk for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. But the mechanisms underlying these associations are not completely understood. The aim of this study was to correlate the regional body composition with pulse wave velocity in the overweight and obese women.
METHODS
We investigated 104 overweight and obese participants. Regional body composition was distinguished by anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and computed tomography (CT). For estimates of arterial stiffness, we measured brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Fasting blood glucose, lipid parameters, CRP, and free fatty acid were measured. Pearson's correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted to identify the relationship between baPWV and regional body composition.
RESULTS
Average age, fasting blood sugar, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, HOMA-IR, abdominal visceral fat area measured by CT, visceral fat area/ subcutaneous fat area (VSR), and visceral fat area/midthigh muscle area (VMR) were all significantly higher in the visceral obesity group than the subcutaneous obesity group. BaPWV was positively correlated with age, blood pressure, triglyceride, waist circumference, waist hip ratio, abdominal visceral fat area measured by CT, and VSR and inversely correlated with thigh subcutaneous fat area. In multiple regression models, after adjustment for confounding factors, baPWV was independently correlated with abdominal visceral fat area measured by CT (R2=0.560, P=0.006).
CONCLUSION
Abdominal visceral fat area measured by CT was the only measurement positively associated with baPWV which explains the relationship of regional body composition and arterial stiffness.

Keyword

brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity; regional body composition; visceral obesity

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Fat*
Absorptiometry, Photon
Ankle
Anthropometry
Atherosclerosis
Blood Glucose
Blood Pressure
Body Composition
Cardiovascular Diseases
Fasting
Female
Humans
Intra-Abdominal Fat
Metabolic Diseases
Obesity
Obesity, Abdominal
Overweight*
Pulse Wave Analysis
Subcutaneous Fat
Thigh
Triglycerides
Vascular Stiffness*
Waist Circumference
Waist-Hip Ratio
Blood Glucose