title: Associations between weight-related eating behaviors and adiposity in postmenopausal Japanese American and white women.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to test the associations between cognitive and psychological eating behavior traits and detailed measures of adiposity and body fat distribution using imaging-based methods in a cross-sectional study. Eating behavior traits (compensatory and routine restraint, external eating, and emotional eating) were assessed using the validated Weight-Related Eating Questionnaire, and measures of adiposity using anthropometry, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Each adiposity outcome of interest (total fat, ratio of trunk fat to periphery fat, visceral and subcutaneous fats as % of abdominal area, and % liver fat) was regressed on the four eating behaviors while adjusting for age and race/ethnicity. This study included a total of 60 postmenopausal Japanese American (n=30) and white (n=30) women (age: 60-65 years, BMI: 18.8-39.6 kg/m(2)). Weight-related eating behavior traits did not differ by ethnicity. Higher external eating scores were associated with measures of total adiposity, including higher BMI (β=0.36, p=0.02) and DXA total fat mass (β=0.41, p=0.001), and with MRI abdominal subcutaneous fat (β=0.55, p=0.001). Higher routine restraint scores were associated with visceral adiposity (β=0.42, p=0.04). Our findings suggest that different weight-related eating behavior traits might increase not only total adiposity but also abdominal and visceral fat deposition associated with higher metabolic risks. Future research, preferably in a prospective study of men and women and including biomarkers related to psychological stress, will be needed to explore potential underlying biological mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck Medical Center of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. schembre@usc.edu
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Schembre
authors.forename: Cheryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Albright
authors.forename: Unhee
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Lynne R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Wilkens
authors.forename: Suzanne P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Novotny
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ernst
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Laurence N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Kolonel
authors.forename: Loïc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Le Marchand
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D050154:Adiposity; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001213:Asian; D001823:Body Composition; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People