ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN 12 YEAR CHANGES IN BODY FATNESS AND LIPOPROTEIN-LIPID LEVELS IN MEN AND WOMEN OF THE QUEBEC FAMILY STUDY

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between 12 year changes in body composition, subcutaneous fat distribution vs changes in plasma l ipoprotein-lipid levels. DESIGN: 12 year prospective study. SUBJECTS: A sample of 95 women and 93 men of the Quebec Family Study initially t ested in 1980. MEASUREMENTS: Various body fatness variables as well as fasting plasma lipoprotein-lipid concentrations performed both in 198 0 and 1992. RESULTS: In both 1980 and 1992, a high body fat mass and a n elevated accumulation of subcutaneous trunk fat were associated with a significant deterioration in the plasma lipoprotein-lipid profile. Furthermore, correlation analysis performed on differences noted durin g the 12 year follow-up revealed significant associations between chan ges in body fat mass and in plasma cholesterol [r = 0.52, P < 0.0005] in women. In both men and women, an increased body fat mass was associ ated with an increased CHOL/HDL-cholesterol ratio [r = 0.37, P < 0.01 (men) and r = 0.54, P < 0.0005 (women)]. Correlations between changes in fat mass and plasma lipids were generally of higher magnitude in wo men than in men. Changes in subcutaneous trunk fat were associated wit h changes in plasma HDL-chol levels (r = -0.22, P < 0.05) in men where as in women, changes in trunk adiposity were related to changes in bot h plasma CHOL (r = 0.25, P < 0.05) and TG (r = 0.32, P < 0.005) levels . CONCLUSION: These results support the notion that the increased adip osity observed among aging adult men and women is a significant compon ent of the deterioration in the plasma lipoprotein-lipid profile noted over a 12 year follow-up period.