Cardiovascular-related proteins and the abdominal visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: An increased amount of visceral adipose tissues has been related to atherosclerosis and future cardiovascular events. The present study aims to investigate how the abdominal fat distribution links to plasma levels of cardiovascular-related proteins. METHOD AND RESULTS: In the Prospective investigation of Obesity, Energy and Metabolism (POEM) study (n = 326, all aged 50 years), abdominal visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) adipose tissue volumes were quantified by MRI. Eighty-six cardiovascular-related proteins were measured by the proximity extension assay (PEA). Similar investigations were carried out in the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study (n = 400, all aged 75 years). In the discovery dataset (POEM), 10 proteins were related to the VAT/SAT-ratio using false discovery rate <.05. Of those, Cathepsin D (CTSD), Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein (IL-1RA) and Growth hormone (GH) (inversely) were related to the VAT/SAT-ratio in the validation in PIVUS following adjustment for sex, BMI, smoking, education level and exercise habits (p < 0.05). In a secondary analysis, a meta-analysis of the two samples suggested that 15 proteins could be linked to the VAT/SAT-ratio following adjustment as above and Bonferroni-correction of the p-value. CONCLUSION: Three cardiovascular-related proteins, cathepsin D, IL-1RA and growth hormone, were being associated with the distribution of abdominal adipose tissue using a discovery/validation approach. A meta-analysis of the two samples suggested that also a number of other cardiovascular-related proteins could be associated with an unfavorable abdominal fat distribution.