Intra-abdominal fat accumulation predicts the development of the metabolic syndrome in non-diabetic Japanese-Americans

• Published in: Diabetologia Vol. 50; no. 6; pp. 1156 - 1160
• Main Authors: Tong, J, Boyko, E. J, Utzschneider, K. M, McNeely, M. J, Hayashi, T, Carr, D. B, Wallace, T. M, Zraika, S, Gerchman, F, Leonetti, D. L, Fujimoto, W. Y, Kahn, S. E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.06.2007; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Abdomen; Adipose Tissue - anatomy & histology; Asian Americans; Asians; Biological and medical sciences; Body fat; Body Mass Index; Body Size; Cholesterol; Diabetes; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Education; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; epidemiology; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Female; Glucose; Humans; Hypertension; Insulin resistance; Japanese Americans; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; Metabolic syndrome; Metabolic Syndrome - epidemiology; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Obesity; Other metabolic disorders; Plasma; Predictive Value of Tests; Preventive medicine; Prospective Studies; Regression analysis; Sex Characteristics; Tomography; Variables; Visceral adiposity; Washington - epidemiology; United States > US; Puget Sound; Endocrinopathy; Diabetes mellitus; Cardiovascular disease; Metabolic diseases; Metabolic syndrome; Epidemiology; Japanese; Accumulation; Visceral obesity; Adiposity; X Syndrome; Development; Insulin resistance; Asians; Visceral adiposity
• ISSN: 0012-186X; 1432-0428
• DOI: 10.1007/s00125-007-0651-y

Aims/hypothesis Intra-abdominal fat (IAF) is an important risk factor for CHD and type 2 diabetes, and in cross-sectional studies is associated with the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Our aim was to determine whether IAF accumulation predicts the future development of MetS in non-diabetic Japanese-Americans. Subjects and methods We conducted a prospective study of 457 Japanese-American men and women (mean±SD: age 51.5 ± 12.0 years, BMI 23.9 ± 3.1 kg/m²) without diabetes or MetS at baseline. Of these, 408 completed a 5-year follow-up and 366 completed a 10-year follow-up. BMI, waist circumference, IAF and subcutaneous fat (SCF) areas by computed tomography, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol and HDL-cholesterol were measured at baseline and at 5- and 10-year follow-up. MetS was defined using National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Results Incidence of MetS was 15.3% at 5 years and 17.8% at 10 years. A change of 1 SD in IAF area was associated with a 2.1-fold increase in the odds of MetS at 10 years (odds ratio = 2.08, 95% CI 1.41-3.07) after adjusting for age, sex, baseline IAF and the presence of each individual MetS criteria at baseline. This association was independent of changes in fasting insulin and SCF areas. Conclusions/interpretation We conclude that IAF accumulation over time independently predicts the development of MetS and thus may play an important role in the development of MetS in Japanese-Americans.