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Visceral fat in white and African American prepubertal children
M I Goran1, T R Nagy, M S Treuth
1Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA. mig@uab.edu
Insights
Intraabdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) varies widely in children. IAAT relative to subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) serves as a visceral fat index, independent of total fat mass. African American children have less IAAT than white children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Body Composition Analysis
- Public Health Nutrition
Background:
- Intraabdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) is linked to metabolic disease.
- Understanding IAAT distribution in children is crucial for early health interventions.
- Existing research often overlooks ethnic and sex-based variations in pediatric visceral adiposity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between intraabdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) and other measures of body fat in children.
- To identify a reliable index for visceral obesity that is independent of overall adiposity.
- To explore differences in IAAT distribution based on sex and ethnicity (White vs. African American) in a pediatric cohort.
Main Methods:
- Computed tomography (CT) was used to quantify IAAT and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT).
- Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) assessed total body fat mass (FM).
- A sample of 101 children (mean age 7.7 years) was analyzed for adiposity measures and ethnic/sex differences.
Main Results:
- IAAT exhibited significant variability (7-107 cm²) and correlated strongly with SAAT (r=0.87) and FM (r=0.81).
- The ratio of IAAT to SAAT was significantly lower in African American children compared to White children.
- No significant sex differences in IAAT, adjusted for SAAT, were observed within ethnic groups.
Conclusions:
- There is substantial variation in visceral fatness among children.
- The IAAT to SAAT ratio provides a visceral fat index independent of total fat mass, useful for studying IAAT's unique effects.
- Ethnic differences in adipose tissue distribution exist, with African American children showing relatively less intraabdominal fat compared to White children.
Abstract:
The objectives of this study were 1) to examine interrelations among intraabdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) and other adiposity indexes, 2) to identify a visceral obesity index that is independent of total adiposity, and 3) to examine sex and ethnic (white compared with African American) differences in IAAT. We measured IAAT and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) using computed tomography, and total fat mass (FM) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in a heterogenous sample of 101 children aged 7.7 +/- 1.6 y weighing 33.2 +/- 12.6 kg. IAAT was highly variable (mean +/- SE; 31 +/- 22 cm2; range: 7-107 cm2) and related to SAAT (r = 0.87) and FM (r = 0.81). The regression slope between IAAT and SAAT was significantly lower in African Americans (0.17 +/- 0.02 cm2 IATT/cm2 SAAT) than in whites (0.23 +/- 0.02 cm2 IAAT/cm2 SAAT). Within each ethnic group there was no effect of sex on IAAT adjusted for SAAT (mean +/- SE: 40.2 +/- 3.1 and 43.2 +/- 2.7 cm2 in white boys and girls, respectively; 26.4 +/- 1.9 and 25.1 +/- 1.6 cm2 in African American boys and girls, respectively). We conclude that in children 1) there is wide variation in visceral fatness; 2) IAAT relative to SAAT is an index of visceral fat, independent of FM, allowing examination of the unique effects of IAAT; and 3) the relative distribution of adipose tissue in the intraabdominal compared with the subcutaneous abdominal region is significantly lower in African Americans than in whites.