title: Differences in the relation of obesity to serum triacylglycerol and VLDL subclass concentrations between black and white children: the Bogalusa Heart Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obese children and adults, particularly those with abdominal obesity, have an elevated serum triacylglycerol concentration. Furthermore, triacylglycerol concentrations are generally higher in whites than in blacks, and the relation of obesity to triacylglycerol concentrations may be stronger in whites. However, there is little information on the relation of obesity to the metabolically distinct subclasses of VLDL in children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective was to examine possible differences between blacks (n = 367) and whites (n = 549) in mean concentrations of triacylglycerols, in mean concentrations of small and large VLDL, and in the relation of waist circumference to concentrations of triacylglycerol and VLDL subclasses.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured VLDL subclass concentrations and assessed the relation of various obesity indexes to triacylglycerols in a cross-sectional study of 10- to 17-y-olds.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean triacylglycerol concentration was 0.3 mmol/L (25 mg/dL) higher in white than in black children, primarily because of a 0.2-mmol/L (140%) difference in mean concentrations of large VLDL. In contrast, the mean concentrations of small VLDL differed by only 0.05 mmol/L (29%). In addition, the relations of waist girth to concentrations of triacylglycerol and large VLDL were 2- to 6-fold stronger among white children than among black children. Although white children had higher concentrations of large VLDL than did black children, this difference increased from 0.1 to 0.4 mmol/L across quintiles of waist circumference. Waist circumference was not significantly related to concentrations of small VLDL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These contrasting associations with obesity, which differ between white and black children, suggest that information on VLDL subclasses could provide additional information on the risk of obesity-related ischemic heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutrition, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. dfreedman@cdc.gov
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Freedman
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Bowman
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Otvos
authors.forename: Sathanur R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.forename: Gerald S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Berenson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D044383:Black People; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL / Q000097:blood* / Q000145:classification; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL; D014280:Triglycerides