Positive Relationship between Serum Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels and Visceral Fat in a Chinese Nondiabetic Population

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that obesity and serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) are important risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is recognized that regionalized adiposity has different cardiovascular risk, visceral versus subcutaneous, is a better predictor of CVD. However, the relationship between regionalized adiposity and LDL-c is unclear. The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between visceral fat accumulation and serum LDL-c levels in a Chinese cohort. METHODS: A total of 1 538 subjects (539 men, 999 women; 20-75 years old) with normal glucose tolerance and blood pressure were recruited. All subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging to quantify visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area. Serum LDL-c levels were detected by direct assay method. RESULTS: Overweight/obese subjects (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2) had significantly higher serum LDL-c levels than the lean subjects (BMI <25 kg/m2) (P < 0.01). An increasing trend in serum LDL-c levels was found to accompany the increase in VFA (P for trend < 0.01). Within the same BMI category, subjects with abdominal obesity (VFA ≥ 80 cm2) had significantly higher LDL-c levels than those without abdominal obesity (VFA < 80 cm2) (P < 0.05). Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that increased VFA was an independent risk factor for elevated LDL-c levels, not only in the entire study population (Standard β = 0.138; P < 0.01), but also when the study population was subdivided into men, premenopausal and postmenopausal women (Standard β = 0.117, 0.145, 0.090 respectively for men, premenopausal women, postmenopausal women; all P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: VFA was positively correlated with serum LDL-c levels in a nondiabetic Chinese population with normal blood pressure.