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Heavy burden of CVD risk factors found with high VAT:SAT ratio
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The propensity to store fat viscerally is associated with high fat density, according to recent study findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Caroline S. Fox, MD, MPH, of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study, and colleagues evaluated 3,212 participants from the Framingham Heart Study to determine the relationship between subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) density with visceral adipose tissue (VAT):SAT ratio and risk for cardiovascular disease.
“This shift in fat stores of the body from subcutaneous to visceral depots may be reflected by a high VAT volume/SAT volume ratio,” the researchers wrote. “The VAT/SAT ratio has been associated with CVD and metabolic risk, beyond BMI or VAT alone.”
Participants were divided into the following four groups: high density to high ratio, high density to low ratio, low density to high ratio and low density to low ratio.
CVD risk factors increased in both women and men when the VAT:SAT ratio increased.
In men, after adjustment for age, an association was found between subcutaneous Hounsfield units and VAT:SAT ratio (P < .0001); this was not significant in women. High VAT:SAT ratio was associated with high SAT density in men (OR = 1.83; 95% CI, 1.49-2.24) and was similar after adjustment for BMI (OR = 1.7; 95% CI, 1.37-2.09). No association was found between high SAT density and VAT:SAT ratio in women, even after adjustment for BMI.
Increased odds of hypertension (OR = 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.4), diabetes (OR = 6.7; 95% CI, 2.6-17.6) and high fasting glucose (4.8 mg; 95% CI, 2.2-7.4) were found among women in the high density to high ratio group; these patterns were similar in men.
“Increased SAT density is associated with increased VAT/SAT ratio that is a marker of a higher propensity to store excess fat viscerally,” the researchers wrote. “High SAT density and high VAT/SAT ratio are jointly characterized by an increased burden of CVD risk factors.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: Fox reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a complete list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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