Relationship between obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in elderly Chinese subjects.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relative effects of degree and distribution of body fat with several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in elderly Chinese subjects.


METHODS
One hundred and thirty-five elderly Chinese individuals (age range, 60-65 y) without any history of significant renal, hepatic or cardiac disease were recruited. Seated blood pressure, anthropometric and fasting plasma biochemical parameters were measured. Student's t-test was used to compare the differences in biochemical and anthropometric markers between cohorts.


RESULTS
Males were heavier (64.6 +/- 8.6, 57.2 +/- 8.2kg, P < 0.001), taller (1.65 +/- 0.06, 1.51 +/- 0.05 m, P < 0.001) and their greater body fat was predominantly deposited centrally (Waist-to- hip ratio, 0.91 +/- 0.06, 0.88 +/- 0.07, P < 0.05). Females were more generally obese with increased body mass index (BMI, 23.8 +/- 4.6, 25.0 +/- 3.5 kg/m2, P < 0.05) and percentage body fat [26.3% (24.5%-28.1%) vs 37.2% (36.0%-38.9%), P < 0.001] than the males. However, despite an 11% higher proportion of body fat in females, no significant differences were identified in blood pressure, lipid profile, indices of insulin resistance or albumin-to-creatinine ratios.


CONCLUSIONS
It is likely that central adiposity contributes disproportionately to these metabolic disorders in males even though they are much leaner than elderly Chinese females.
Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China. thomas1997@ cuhk.edu.hk
G Neil
GN
Thomas
Hai-Lu
HL
Zhao
Yan Qing
YQ
Ma
Wilson Y S
WY
Leung
Juliana C N
JC
Chan
Brian
B
Tomlinson
Julian A J H
JA
Critchley
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D012307:Risk Factors