Differential effect of marrow adiposity and visceral and subcutaneous fat on cardiovascular risk in young, healthy adults.
BACKGROUND
Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that influences many metabolic processes and accumulates in different depots, including the bone marrow. While the negative associations between visceral fat (VF) or subcutaneous fat (SF) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks are well known, the relation between marrow fat (MF) and metabolic risk is unexplored.


OBJECTIVE
We examined the relations between these three fat depots and whether CVD risks are associated with marrow adiposity.


METHODS
Observational cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Computed tomography was used to measure VF, SF and MF depots in 131 healthy young adults (60 females, 71 males; 16-25 years of age). Weight, body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences, blood pressure (BP), carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and serum levels of lipids, glucose and insulin were also measured.


RESULTS
Regardless of gender, MF was not associated with values of VF or SF, anthropometric measures, or lipid or carbohydrate serum levels (P>0.05 for all). In contrast, VF was associated with SF (r values=0.74 for females, 0.78 for males; both P-values <0.0001) and these depots were related to anthropometric parameters (r values between 0.69 and 0.87; all P-values <0.0001) and to most measures of lipids, glucose or insulin (r values between 0.25 and 0.62).


CONCLUSIONS
Marrow adiposity in young men and women is independent of VF and SF, and is not associated with CVD risk. These findings do not support the concept that marrow adiposity is involved in the comorbidities related to fat accumulation in other compartments.
Department of Radiology, Childrens Hospital, KECK School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA.
N
N
Di Iorgi
S D
SD
Mittelman
V
V
Gilsanz
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers