Obesity, smoking and atherosclerosis. A study of interassociations

The data gathered from male autopsied cases (25-64 years of age) in Orleans Parish have been analysed for association between measurements of athetosclerosis and measurements of obesity. The confounding effects of diseases such as hypertension and diabetes have been controlled by excluding from analysis cases known to have such diseases. The confounding effect of age and a measurement of smoking habit on the association between atherosclerosis and obesity has been controlled by the technique of multivariate regression analysis. An inverse association between smoking habit and obesity and the direct associations between smoking habit and atherosclerosis as measured by MCWT (mean coronary wall thickness), CALC (coronary calcification), RLAA (raised lesion in abdominal aorta), and RLCA (raised lesion in coronary arteries) have been confirmed. Positive though weak associations for mesasures of atherosclerosis (MCWT and RLCA) with adipose thickness have been found among whites but not among blacks. Among black cases a weak association between fatty streaks in coronary arteries and adipose thickness was found. It is suggested that obesity itself is not an atherogenic agent but that it is related to one or more atherogenic agents that affect aortas and coronary arteries differentially and that are more intensive among whites than among blacks.