Visceral Fat, But Not Subcutaneous Fat, Is Significantly Associated With Increased Risk Of CVD

Mito

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Dec 10, 2016
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Abstract
Background
Visceral fat has been shown to be associated with increased cardiometabolic risk, but the role of subcutaneous fat remains unclear, and evidence from diverse populations is lacking. We hypothesized that visceral, but not subcutaneous fat, would be independently associated with incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.

Methods
Among 1,910 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis with abdominal fat measurements from computed tomography (CT) scans and followed for an average of 9.3 years, we used multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to investigate the relationship of both visceral and subcutaneous fat tertiles with CVD and all-cause mortality. We tested for interaction, and performed sensitivity analysis for subgroups and missing values of visceral fat.

Results
Participants had mean age of 65 years, visceral fat 150cm2, subcutaneous fat 263cm2, while 50% were female, 21% African American, 13% Asian, and 26% Hispanic. In models adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, education, smoking, and subcutaneous fat, there was a significant positive association between visceral fat and cardiovascular disease, but not mortality. The association for combined cardiovascular disease may be driven by incident coronary heart disease (Tertile 2: HR=2.43(1.38-4.28) and Tertile 3: HR=3.00 (1.66-5.43)). Additionally, we found no significant associations between subcutaneous fat and cardiovascular disease or mortality. There were no significant interactions by age, sex, or race/ethnicity.

Conclusions
Visceral fat, but not subcutaneous fat, is significantly associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease in a multi-ethnic cohort. These data support the need for effective strategies for lifestyle changes that prevent and reduce visceral fat.


CT derived body fat distribution and incident cardiovascular disease: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis | The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism | Oxford Academic
 

smith

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Jul 2, 2017
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386
Good post, not much information on subcutaneous fat. Most internet articles promote the idea of getting rid of it, but considering it's the body's natural insulation and protective padding, that just seems foolish. Apparently the face is the first place to lose it, judging by middle-aged and older individuals who tend to have gaunt faces and hollow cheeks. IMO, SubQ fat should be just as prioritized as collagen and elastin in health circles. Now then, how to increase it....
 

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