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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #161673
Title: VISCERAL FAT ACCUMULATION DETERMINES POSTPRANDIAL LIPEMIC RESPONSE, LIPID PEROXIDATION, DNA DAMAGE, AND ENDOTHCLIAL DYSFUNCTION IN NON-OBESE KOREAN MEN

Author
item JANG, YANGSOO - YONSEI UNIVERSITY
item KIM, OH YOEM - YONSEI UNIVERSITY
item RYU, HA JUNG - YONSEI UNIVERSITY
item KIM, JI YOUNG - YONSEI UNIVERSITY
item SONG, SANG HOON - CJ CORP, SEOUL, KOREA
item ORDOVAS, JOSE - TUFTS-HNRCA
item LEE, JONG HO - YONSEI UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Journal of Lipid Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2003
Publication Date: 12/1/2003
Citation: JANG, Y., KIM, O.Y., RYU, H.J., KIM, J.Y., SONG, S.H., ORDOVAS, J.M., LEE, J.H. VISCERAL FAT ACCUMULATION DETERMINES POSTPRANDIAL LIPEMIC RESPONSE, LIPID PEROXIDATION, DNA DAMAGE, AND ENDOTHCLIAL DYSFUNCTION IN NON-OBESE KOREAN MEN. JOURNAL OF LIPID RESEARCH. 2003;44:2356-64.

Interpretive Summary: The most recent figures about the epidemic of obesity and overweight in the US are appalling. Sixty-five percent of U.S. adults are considered either overweight or obese. The consequences of this are far beyond the esthetics of the population. Three hundred thousand people die each year due to obesity-related causes, making it the second-leading cause of death after smoking. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. Americans spend more than $33 billion a year on weight-loss products and services. However, the economic cost of obesity in the United States was about $117 billion in 2000. The future trends are even more dreadful considering that 15% of youngsters ages 6 to 19 and 10 percent of children 2 through 5 are considered seriously overweight. According to a recent Surgeon General's call to action, the 'health problems resulting from overweight and obesity could reverse many of the health gains achieved in the U.S. in recent decades.' The urgency of this statement is reinforced by the HHS Secretary, who also said that 'overweight and obesity are among the most pressing new health challenges we face today.' In line with this urgency, we are investigating more in depth the genetic basis and metabolic consequences of obesity. As a first step we have determined which anthropometrical measures describe better the metabolic risks associated with excess body fat. In this paper, we have identified that the amount of visceral fat at the fourth lumbar vertebra is the best indicator of an atherogenic profile, even in the presence of normal weight. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that visceral fat accumulation, even in non-obese men is a major factor contributing to increased cardiovascular disease risk.

Technical Abstract: Visceral fat has been associated with multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The aim of this study was to identify anthropometrical measures most closely associated with some well-known CVD risk factors. Because most Asians at risk have normal body mass index (BMI) according to Western standards, we studied healthy nonobese Korean males (n = 102; age: 36.5 +/- 0.8 years, BMI: 23.8 +/- 0.2 kg/m2). Visceral fat area (VFA) at the fourth lumbar vertebra was associated with increased postprandial triglyceride (TG) response (r = 0.53, P < 0.001) and with plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) (r = 0.36, P < 0.01) and PGF2alpha (r = 0.24, P < 0.05). When matched for BMI and age, men with high VFA (HVFA) (>/=100 cm2; n = 27) had higher blood pressure (P < 0.01), increased consumption of cigarettes (P < 0.01), and lower ratio of energy expenditure to calorie intake (P < 0.01) as compared with low VFA men (<100 cm2; n = 27). Men with HVFA showed higher TG, glucose, and insulin responses following fat and oral glucose tolerance tests respectively higher plasma concentrations of MDA (P < 0.001), urinary PGF2alpha (P < 0.05), and lymphocytes deoxyribonucleic acid tail moments (P < 0.01). Conversely, HVFA was associated with lower testosterone, insulin-like growth factor-1, and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (P < 0.001). In conclusion, our data indicate that visceral fat accumulation, even in nonobese men, is a major factor contributing to increased CVD risk.