The associations between cardiometabolic risk factors and visceral fat measured by a new dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived method in lean healthy Caucasian women

Endocrine. 2014 Nov;47(2):500-5. doi: 10.1007/s12020-014-0180-7. Epub 2014 Feb 7.

Abstract

Excess visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is associated with a cluster of metabolic abnormalities. A new dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-based VAT measurement approach, CoreScan™, computes VAT mass and volume within the android region of a total body DXA scan. However, there have been no reference values developed for this method. The objective of this study was to determine the normal reference ranges for DXA-derived VAT in young, healthy, premenopausal women. We also sought associations between VAT, blood lipids, glucose, insulin and insulin resistance. In 120 randomly selected, normal weight, Caucasian women aged 20-40 years, we measured body fat (BF), VAT and lean mass by DXA. We also assessed blood pressure, waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index, fasting glucose, insulin, triglycerides (TG), and high- (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins. Insulin resistance was evaluated by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). VAT mass accounted for 0.37 ± 0.3 % of weight and 1.11 ± 0.72 % of BF. Mean VAT mass and volume were 235.9 ± 183 g (95 % CI 202.7-269.1) and 250.3 ± 194.5 cm(3) (95 % CI 215.1-285.4), respectively. Anthropometric indices moderately correlated with VAT. VAT significantly correlated with HDL (R = -0.193; P = 0.03), glucose (R = 0.252; P = 0.005) and HOMA (R = 0.184; P = 0.049). In this study, we provide normal values of VAT mass and volume measured by DXA and determined for healthy, normal weight, Caucasian women aged 20-40 years. Even in such strictly selected population VAT correlated positively with insulin resistance and inversely with HDL.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Blood Glucose / analysis
  • Body Mass Index*
  • Body Weight / physiology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / diagnostic imaging
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / etiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Insulin / blood
  • Insulin Resistance / physiology*
  • Intra-Abdominal Fat / diagnostic imaging*
  • Radiography
  • Risk Factors
  • Waist Circumference / physiology
  • Waist-Hip Ratio
  • White People
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Blood Glucose
  • Insulin