title: Visceral and subcutaneous adiposity and brachial artery vasodilator function.
abstract: Endothelial dysfunction may link obesity to cardiovascular disease (CVD). We tested the hypothesis that visceral abdominal tissue (VAT) as compared with subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) is more related to endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Among Framingham Offspring and Third Generation cohorts (n = 3,020, mean age 50 years, 47% women), we used multivariable linear regression adjusted for CVD and its risk factors to relate computed tomography (CT)-assessed VAT and SAT, BMI, and waist circumference (WC), with brachial artery measures. In multivariable-adjusted models, BMI, WC, VAT, and SAT were positively related to baseline artery diameter and baseline mean flow velocity (all P < 0.001), but not hyperemic mean flow velocity. In multivariable-adjusted models, BMI (P = 0.002), WC (P = 0.001), and VAT (P = 0.01), but not SAT (P = 0.24) were inversely associated with percentage of flow-mediated dilation (FMD%). However, there was little incremental increase in the proportion of variability explained by VAT (R(2) = 0.266) as compared to SAT (R(2) = 0.265), above and beyond traditional risk factors. VAT, but not SAT was associated with FMD% after adjusting for clinical covariates. Nevertheless, the differential association with VAT as compared to SAT was minimal.
authors.affiliation: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Nisha I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Parikh
authors.forename: Michelle J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Keyes
authors.forename: Martin G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: Karla M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Pou
authors.forename: Naomi M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Hamburg
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Vita
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.forename: Ramachandran S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Vasan
authors.forename: Gary F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Caroline S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: Emelia J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Benjamin
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D050154:Adiposity; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012307:Risk Factors; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014664:Vasodilation; D055105:Waist Circumference