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Association of regional body fat with metabolic risks in Chinese women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 October 2013

Xiaohua Fu
Affiliation:
Obesity and Body Composition Research Center, Chronic Disease Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of ChinaDepartment of Reproductive Endocrinology, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
Aihua Song
Affiliation:
Obesity and Body Composition Research Center, Chronic Disease Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
Yunjie Zhou
Affiliation:
Obesity and Body Composition Research Center, Chronic Disease Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China
Xiaoguang Ma
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA
Jingjing Jiao
Affiliation:
Obesity and Body Composition Research Center, Chronic Disease Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of ChinaDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Zhejiang University School of Public Health, 866 Yu-hang-tang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
Min Yang
Affiliation:
Obesity and Body Composition Research Center, Chronic Disease Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of ChinaDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Zhejiang University School of Public Health, 866 Yu-hang-tang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
Shankuan Zhu*
Affiliation:
Obesity and Body Composition Research Center, Chronic Disease Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of ChinaDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, Zhejiang University School of Public Health, 866 Yu-hang-tang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, People's Republic of China
*
*Corresponding author: Email zsk@zju.edu.cn
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Abstract

Objective

To investigate the association of regional fat depots with metabolic risk factors in Chinese women.

Design

Total and regional fat depots including android fat and gynoid fat were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Central fat distribution was defined as android:gynoid fat ratio. Metabolic risk factors were defined as elevated TAG, reduced HDL-cholesterol, elevated blood pressure and elevated fasting plasma glucose. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the associations of regional fat depots with metabolic risk factors. The odds ratios of metabolic risks were further calculated according to tertiles of android fat and gynoid fat.

Setting

Participants were recruited from a community-based cross-sectional study. Face-to-face questionnaires, anthropometric and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measures were conducted.

Subjects

Chinese women (n 609) aged 18–79 years.

Results

Android fat and android:gynoid fat ratio were associated with significantly increased odds (OR = 1·4–3·7; P < 0·01) for almost all risk factors, whereas gynoid fat was independently associated with significantly decreased odds (OR = 0·3–0·6; P < 0·01). The inverse associations of gynoid fat with metabolic risk factors remained after adjusting for android fat. Even if their android fat level was in high, women in the highest tertile of gynoid fat had lower odds of having at least two metabolic risk factors compared with women in the lowest gynoid fat tertile (P for trend < 0·01).

Conclusions

There were opposite associations of android and gynoid fat with metabolic risks in Chinese women. Gynoid fat rather than android fat might be a more important inclusion in metabolic disease risk evaluation in female Asians.

Information

Type
Epidemiology
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2013 
Figure 0

Fig. 1Scans and regions by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for bone (a) and body composition (b); android, top section; gynoid, bottom section

Figure 1

Table 1Characteristics of the study participants: Chinese women (n 609) aged 18–79 years, November 2008–May 2009

Figure 2

Table 2BMI-adjusted partial Pearson correlation coefficients of adiposity measures from DXA with various variables in Chinese women (n 609) aged 18–79 years, November 2008–May 2009

Figure 3

Table 3Odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals of metabolic risks with 1 sd increase of each adiposity measurement in Chinese women (n 609) aged 18–79 years, November 2008–May 2009

Figure 4

Fig. 2Adjusted odds ratios for having at least two metabolic risk factors according to tertiles (T1, T2 and T3, where T1 is the lowest and T3 the highest) of android fat and gynoid fat in Chinese women (n 609) aged 18–79 years, November 2008–May 2009. Covariates adjusted for in the analysis include age, BMI, menopausal status, smoking status, drinking status, occupational physical activity, leisure-time physical activity and percentage body fat