Psychological and behavioral predictors of body fat distribution: Age and gender effects

Objective: Abdominal fat has been shown to be associated with several adver se outcomes including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. R isk factors fur abdominal fatness include genetic effects, age, and gender. Most recently, it has been hypothesized that psychological factors, as wel l as behavioral factors, may play a part in where fat is distributed. The p urpose of this study was to assess the longitudinal predictive power of psy chological variables (cynicism, anger, anxiety, and depression) measured in 1987 on waist-hip ratio (WHR) measured from 1992 to 1994 among different a ge and gender groups, as well as to test if alcohol consumption or smoking (measured in 1990) would mediate any of the relationships found. Research Methods nod Procedures: Data from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (n = 1392; average age: 58 years for middle-aged group and 74 year s for older group; 58% female) were analyzed using a maximum-likelihood reg ression model where age, gender, and age by gender effects were assessed. Results: Cynicism and anxiety predicted WHR in middle-aged subjects regardl ess of gender. Cynicism explained 2.5% of the variance in WHR and anxiety e xplained 1.7% of the variance in WHR. Anger predicted WHR in males regardle ss of age, explaining 4.0% of the variance; depression predicted WHR only i n middle-aged females, explaining 2.0% of the variance, All analyses adjust ed for body mass index, and neither alcohol consumption or smoking status m ediated the relationships. Discussion: These findings are suggestive with regard to the hypotheses tha t certain psychological states and behaviors may be associated with increas ed abdominal fatness.