May 1, 2003Open Access
Visceral Adipose Tissue Cutoffs Associated With Metabolic Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease in Women
Structured PICO
Are specific visceral adipose tissue (VAT) cutoffs associated with elevated metabolic risk factors for coronary heart disease in women >45 years of age?
P
Population
233 perimenopausal (9%) and postmenopausal women >45 years of age (mean age 59 +/- 6 years, 79% Caucasian, 16% on hormone replacement therapy).
I
Intervention
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) levels measured by computed tomography
C
Comparator
Lowest VAT quintile (≤105 cm²)
O
Outcome
Metabolic risk factors for coronary heart disease (fasting and 2-h postprandial glucose, fasting lipoprotein lipid and insulin concentrations)surrogate
A visceral adipose tissue area ≥106 cm² is associated with elevated metabolic risk for coronary heart disease in women, with risk further increasing at ≥163 cm², providing potential cutoffs for defining visceral obesity.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study determined whether there is a critical level of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) associated with elevated coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors in a cohort of women >45 years of age. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Measurements of body composition (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), body fat distribution (computed tomography), fasting and 2-h postprandial (75-g) glucose concentrations, and fasting lipoprotein lipid and insulin concentrations were performed in 233 perimenopausal (9%) and postmenopausal women (age 59 +/- 6 years, 79% Caucasian, 16% on hormone replacement therapy). RESULTS: Women in the lowest VAT quintile ( or =163 cm(2) (P or =163 cm(2) are 5.5 times more likely to have a low HDL cholesterol (P or =163 cm(2) are at a higher risk of having impaired glucose tolerance (P or =106 cm(2) is associated with an elevated risk, and a VAT > or =163 cm(2) with an even greater risk, for these metabolic CHD risk factors compared with women with a VAT < or =105 cm(2). These values may prove useful for defining "visceral obesity" and for identifying women most likely to benefit from preventative interventions.
Cite This Study
Nicklas et al. (Thu,) studied this question.