Body fat, fat distribution and serum lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in African-American and Caucasian-American prepubertal children.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the present study was to determine the impact of body fat mass and fat distribution on serum lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in African-American and Caucasian-American prepubertal children.


METHODS
Study participants included 62 African-American children (age 8.3+/-1.4 y; body mass 37.3+/-13.6 kg; height 133+/-11 cm) and 39 Caucasian children (age 8.6+/-1.2 y; body mass 34.1+/-11.0 kg; height 131+/-9 cm).


METHODS
Venous blood samples were obtained after a 12 h overnight fast and serum was analyzed for total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), triacylglycerol (TAG), apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I), apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) concentrations. Body composition and body fat distribution were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography, respectively.


RESULTS
African-American children had lower TAG (46+/-20 vs 61+/-32 mg/dl, P=0.015) and higher Lp(a) (34+/-25 vs 17+/-28 mg/dl, P=0.001) and HDL-C (44+/-11 vs 39+/-8 mg/dl, P=0.041). There were no ethnic differences in TC, ApoA-I and ApoB (P=0.535, P=0.218, P=0.418, respectively). The ethnic difference in TAG and Lp(a) was not explained by total fat or abdominal fat. The ethnic difference in HDL-C was explained by visceral fat and TAG.


CONCLUSIONS
In prepubertal children, neither body fat nor fat distribution explain the ethnic difference in TAG or Lp(a), but visceral fat and TAG may contribute to differences in HDL-C.
Herd
S L
SL
Division of Physiology and Metabolism, Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Gower
B A
BA
Dashti
N
N
Goran
M I
MI
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001053:Apolipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D044383:Black People; D001823:Body Composition; D001824:Body Constitution; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American
D001053:Apolipoproteins; D008055:Lipids; D008074:Lipoproteins