Association between non-subcutaneous adiposity and calcified coronary plaque: a substudy of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.
BACKGROUND
Excessive non-subcutaneous fat deposition may impair the functions of surrounding tissues and organs through the release of inflammatory cytokines and free fatty acids.


OBJECTIVE
We examined the cross-sectional association between non-subcutaneous adiposity and calcified coronary plaque, a noninvasive measure of coronary artery disease burden.


METHODS
Participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis underwent computed tomography (CT) assessment of calcified coronary plaque. We measured multiple fat depots in 398 white and black participants (47% men, 43% black), aged 47-86 y, from Forsyth County, NC, during 2002-2005, with the use of cardiac and abdominal CT scans. In addition to examining each depot separately, we also created a non-subcutaneous fat index with the standard scores of non-subcutaneous fat depots.


RESULTS
A total of 219 participants (55%) were found to have calcified coronary plaque. After adjusting for demographics, lifestyle factors, and height, calcified coronary plaque was associated with a 1 SD increment in the non-subcutaneous fat index [odds ratio (OR): 1.41; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.84], pericardial fat (OR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.84), abdominal visceral fat (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.76) but not with fat content in the liver, intermuscular fat, or abdominal subcutaneous fat. The relation between non-subcutaneous fat index and calcified coronary plaque remained after further adjustment for abdominal subcutaneous fat (OR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.94). The relation did not differ by sex and ethnicity.


CONCLUSIONS
The overall burden of non-subcutaneous fat deposition, but not abdominal subcutaneous fat, may be a correlate of coronary atherosclerosis.
Ding
Jingzhong
J
Sticht Center on Aging, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. jding@wfubmc.edu
Kritchevsky
Stephen B
SB
Hsu
Fang-Chi
FC
Harris
Tamara B
TB
Burke
Gregory L
GL
Detrano
Robert C
RC
Szklo
Moyses
M
Criqui
Michael H
MH
Allison
Matthew
M
Ouyang
Pamela
P
Brown
Elizabeth R
ER
Carr
J Jeffrey
JJ
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D044383:Black People; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin; D044465:White People
Am J Epidemiol. 2004 Oct 15;160(8):741-9
15466496
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Dec;28 Suppl 4:S58-65
15592488
Circulation. 2001 Oct 30;104(18):2228-35
11684636
Am J Epidemiol. 1995 Jun 15;141(12):1117-27
7771450
Circulation. 2007 Jan 23;115(3):402-26
17220398
JAMA. 2004 Jan 14;291(2):210-5
14722147
Circulation. 1998 Jun 2;97(21):2099-100
9626167
Nature. 2006 Dec 14;444(7121):881-7
17167477
J Appl Physiol (1985). 1998 Jul;85(1):115-22
9655763
Circ J. 2007 Apr;71(4):536-9
17384455
Am J Epidemiol. 2002 Nov 1;156(9):871-81
12397006
Virchows Arch. 1997 Feb;430(2):163-71
9083520
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1998 Mar;83(3):847-50
9506738
N Engl J Med. 2005 Apr 21;352(16):1685-95
15843671
Int J Obes. 1990 Oct;14(10):893-902
2269582
Diabetes. 2007 Apr;56(4):1010-3
17287468
J Am Coll Cardiol. 1990 Mar 15;15(4):827-32
2407762
Circulation. 2005 Mar 15;111(10):1313-20
15769774
Atherosclerosis. 2006 Jun;186(2):354-9
16183065
Circulation. 2003 Jul 29;108(4):472-8
12860917
Invest Radiol. 2005 Feb;40(2):97-101
15654254
Diabetes Care. 2003 Jan;26 Suppl 1:S5-20
12502614
Diabetes Care. 1999 Nov;22(11):1808-12
10546012
Atherosclerosis. 2001 Jul;157(1):203-9
11427222
J Pathol. 1998 May;185(1):4-9
9713353
Radiology. 2005 Aug;236(2):477-84
15972340
Diabetologia. 2002 Sep;45(9):1201-10
12242452
Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Dec;28 Suppl 4:S12-21
15592481
Circulation. 2003 Nov 18;108(20):2460-6
14581396
Circulation. 1995 Sep 1;92(5):1355-74
7648691
Radiology. 2005 Jan;234(1):35-43
15618373
Circulation. 1995 Oct 15;92(8):2157-62
7554196
J Comput Tomogr. 1981 Mar;5(1):33-5
7273824