Visceral fat amount is associated with carotid atherosclerosis even in type 2 diabetic men with a normal waist circumference.
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to investigate whether determination of the quantity of visceral fat has an additional benefit in assessing atherosclerotic burden in men with type 2 diabetes compared with the traditional measurement of waist circumference (WC) alone.


METHODS
This was an observational study performed in 368 men with type 2 diabetes, consecutively enrolled in Diabetes Clinics. Common carotid artery far-wall intima-media thickness (IMT), WC and visceral fat thickness (VFT), as measured by ultrasonography, were measured for each subject. Abdominal and visceral obesity were defined as a WC >90 cm and a VFT > or =47.6 mm, respectively.


RESULTS
Among subjects with abdominal obesity (n=174), 35 subjects did not have visceral obesity. In contrast, among the subjects without abdominal obesity (n=194), 88 patients had visceral obesity. Despite no differences in age, glucose control, lipid profile and treatment modalities, there was a significant difference in carotid IMT based on VFT strata, but not WC strata. The subjects without abdominal obesity, but who had visceral obesity, had a higher carotid IMT compared with subjects with abdominal obesity, but without visceral obesity (maximal, 0.94+/-0.35 vs 0.78+/-0.17 mm; and average, 0.74+/-0.19 vs 0.64+/-0.14 mm, respectively, P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Subjects having visceral obesity, regardless of a normal WC, showed a higher carotid IMT compared with those with increased WC, but less visceral fat. In addition to WC, a direct estimation for visceral fat may provide an additional role in assessing atherosclerotic burden in men with type 2 diabetes.
Kim
S K
SK
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Pochon CHA University, 351 Yatap-dong, Bundang-gu,Sungnam, Korea. imdrksk@chollian.net
Park
S W
SW
Kim
S H
SH
Cha
B S
BS
Lee
H C
HC
Cho
Y W
YW
D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002340:Carotid Artery Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012306:Risk; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055105:Waist Circumference