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Visceral fat accumulation and cardiovascular disease
Y Matsuzawa1, T Nakamura, I Shimomura
1Second Department of Internal Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Obesity Research
|December 1, 1995
Summary
Visceral fat obesity, characterized by a high visceral fat area (V)/subcutaneous fat area (S) ratio, is linked to more metabolic and circulatory complications than subcutaneous fat obesity.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Cardiology
- Metabolic Disorders
Background:
- Obesity-related metabolic complications vary with body physique and adipose tissue distribution.
- Adipose tissue distribution, particularly abdominal fat accumulation, is increasingly recognized as a key factor in metabolic disease risk.
- Computed tomography (CT) enables detailed analysis of subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and validate a classification system for obesity based on visceral fat distribution.
- To investigate the association between different obesity classifications and metabolic/circulatory complications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized computed tomography (CT) to analyze visceral fat area (V) and subcutaneous fat area (S).
- Calculated the V/S ratio from CT cross-sectional images at the umbilical region.
- Classified obese subjects into visceral fat obesity (V/S ratio ≥ 0.4) and subcutaneous fat obesity (V/S ratio < 0.4) groups.
Main Results:
- Visceral fat obesity demonstrated more pronounced glucose and lipid metabolism disorders compared to subcutaneous fat obesity, even when matched for age and sex.
- Visceral fat obesity was more frequently associated with circulatory disorders, including left ventricular enlargement and hypertension.
Conclusions:
- The V/S ratio derived from CT is a useful metric for classifying obesity based on visceral fat accumulation.
- Visceral fat obesity represents a higher risk phenotype for metabolic and circulatory complications compared to subcutaneous fat obesity.