VISCERAL ADIPOSE-TISSUE AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK-FACTORS IN OBESE CHILDREN

Objective: In adults visceral adipose tissue (VAT) has been shown to b e more highly correlated with cardiovascular (CV) risk factors than ar e other measures of adiposity such as subcutaneous abdominal adipose t issue (SAAT), percent body fat (%BF), or total body fat mass (TFM). We examined the relations between these measures of fatness and CV risk factors in obese children. Study design: Subjects were 64 obese (27% t o 61% BF) children (24 black girls, 19 white girls, 11 black boys, 10 white boys) aged 7 to 11 years. VAT and SAAT were measured with magnet ic resonance imaging. TFM and %BF were determined with dual x-ray abso rptiometry. Hierarchical stepwise multiple regression analyses were us ed to determine the proportions of variance in CV risk factors explain ed by the demographic and adiposity measures. Results: VAT but not SAA T, %BF or TFM explained a significant proportion of the variance (r(2) range = 0.10 to 0.21) in several lipid/lipoprotein risk factors inclu ding triacylglycerols, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low -density lipoprotein particle size. Conclusion: Many of the deleteriou s relations between VAT and lipid/lipoprotein risk factors seen in adu lts were already present in this sample of obese children.