Visceral fat thickness in overweight men correlates with alterations in serum fatty acid composition.
BACKGROUND
We examined relationships between visceral fat amount and alterations in serum fatty acid composition, both of which represent critical factors in the development of metabolic syndrome.


METHODS
Correlations were analyzed between visceral fat thickness as measured by ultrasonography and proportions of individual fatty acids in 21 normal-weight and 24 overweight Japanese men.


RESULTS
Significant associations were identified in overweight subjects. Visceral fat thickness displayed positive correlations to levels of palmitic acid and saturated fatty acids (r=0.475, P<0.05 and r=0.545, P<0.01, respectively); and negative correlations to levels of linoleic acid and polyunsaturated fatty acids (r=-0.513, P<0.05 and r=-0.428, P<0.05, respectively). Visceral fat thickness was also correlated with estimated desaturase activities, with positive correlations to Delta9- and Delta6-desaturase activities and negative correlations to Delta5-desaturase activity (r=0.580, P<0.01, r=0.669, P<0.01 and r=-0.559, P<0.01, respectively). No significant associations were identified in normal-weight subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Significant associations between visceral fat amount and alterations in serum fatty acid composition were identified, but only in overweight individuals.
Kishino
Tomonori
T
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Tokyo 181-8611, Japan. kishino@kyorin-u.ac.jp
Watanabe
Keiko
K
Urata
Tsuyoshi
T
Takano
Maiko
M
Uemura
Takamoto
T
Nishikawa
Kaori
K
Mine
Yoshitake
Y
Matsumoto
Motoko
M
Ohtsuka
Kouki
K
Ohnishi
Hiroaki
H
Mori
Hideaki
H
Takahashi
Shin'ichi
S
Ishida
Hitoshi
H
Watanabe
Takashi
T
D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000378:metabolism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000097:blood; D005410:Flame Ionization; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism; D007564:Japan; D019787:Linoleic Acid / Q000097:blood; D050602:Linoleoyl-CoA Desaturase / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D019308:Palmitic Acid / Q000097:blood; D012907:Smoking / Q000378:metabolism; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055105:Waist Circumference
D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D019308:Palmitic Acid; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D050602:Linoleoyl-CoA Desaturase