Visceral fat accumulation in Japanese high school students and related atherosclerotic risk factors.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the factors that influence visceral fat accumulation in adolescence, we performed a medical examination of high school students and assessed abdominal fat thickness and fatty change of the liver.


METHODS
A cohort of 374 Japanese high school students aged 15-16 years (193 boys and 181 girls) in public high schools in Chiba prefecture were enrolled. Anthropometric parameters, blood cell count, blood chemistry and adipocytokine levels were measured. Preperitoneal fat thickness (PFT) and echoic contrast of the liver were measured by ultrasonography.


RESULTS
Anthropometric parameters, systolic blood pressure, blood cell count, ALT, AST, FBS, gamma-GTP, HDL-C, LpL, UA, adiponectin, resistin and leptin levels differed between sexes. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that leptin was the most appropriate marker for PFT in both sexes (p<0.0001). Visceral obesity, categorized as PFT exceeding 8 mm, was observed in 9.6% of all students. Boys with visceral obesity showed apparent liver dysfunction, hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, and high leptin and low adiponectin levels. Overall, 16.6% of boys and 30.4% of girls showed hepatorenal echo contrast positivity. Boys with visceral obesity and fatty liver had more risk factors for atherosclerosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Physical examination of high school students is important for early detection of atherosclerosis.
Tadokoro
Naoko
N
Watanabe Clinic, Funabashi, Chiba 273-0003, Japan. naoko@miyamoto.funabashi.chiba.jp
Shinomiya
Masaki
M
Yoshinaga
Masao
M
Takahashi
Hideto
H
Matsuoka
Kaori
K
Miyashita
Yo
Y
Nakamura
Masato
M
Kuribayashi
Nobuichi
N
D000293:Adolescent; D044466:Asian People; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography
D015415:Biomarkers; D020738:Leptin