title: Plasma visfatin concentration as a surrogate marker for visceral fat accumulation in obese children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to elucidate whether the plasma visfatin level reflects visceral or subcutaneous fat accumulation and metabolic derangement in obese children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six obese Japanese children, including 37 boys and 19 girls were enrolled in the study. The age of the subjects ranged from 5 to 15 (10.2 +/- 0.3; mean +/- s.e.m.) years. The age-matched control group for measuring visfatin consisted of 20 non-obese children. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) areas were measured by computed tomography. The plasma concentrations for visfatin and leptin were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The plasma visfatin level was higher in the obese (14.7 +/- 0.9 ng/ml) than in the control children (8.6 +/- 0.6 ng/ml). In a univariate analysis, the visfatin correlated significantly with age, height, body weight, waist circumference, VAT and SAT area, triglyceride (TG), insulin, and the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-R). After being adjusted for age and sex, only the VAT area retained significant partial correlation with visfatin, and in contrast the body weight, BMI-s.d., and SAT area with leptin. The plasma visfatin concentration was not correlated with leptin. The plasma visfatin levels in the control, non-metabolic syndrome (MS) (n = 49), and MS groups (n = 7) were significantly different from each other.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that plasma visfatin level is a specific marker for visceral fat accumulation in obese children. As a good surrogate marker, plasma visfatin level can predict the VAT area in obese children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: Kazushige
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dobashi
authors.forename: Kazuyasu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubo
authors.forename: Rinko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kawagoe
authors.forename: Yukiyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Yasusada
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawada
authors.forename: Kohtaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asayama
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shirahata
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000502:physiology; D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D007564:Japan; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020738:Leptin; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase