title: Visceral fat accumulation in Japanese high school students and related atherosclerotic risk factors.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Watanabe Clinic, Funabashi, Chiba 273-0003, Japan. naoko@miyamoto.funabashi.chiba.jp
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tadokoro
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shinomiya
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshinaga
authors.forename: Hideto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: Yo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Nobuichi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuribayashi
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020738:Leptin