Associations of smoking and smoking cessation with CT-measured visceral obesity in 4656 Korean men.
OBJECTIVE
Although obesity is shown to be less common among current smokers than never smokers, the association between visceral obesity and smoking remains uncertain.


METHODS
For this cross-sectional analysis, we recruited 4656 Korean men of 19 to 79 years who received a regular checkup at a health examination center between 2008 and 2010. Computed tomography was performed to measure the area of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT and SAT). We compared the mean VAT by multiple regression analysis across smoking status after adjusting for confounders.


RESULTS
Both current and former smokers had more mean VAT than never smokers. Current smokers who consumed more than 20 cigarettes per day had 11% higher mean VAT than never smokers (P<0.01). Longer smoking duration, higher daily cigarette consumption before quitting, and shorter abstinence duration among ex-smokers were associated with increasing mean VAT (all P for trend<0.01). The mean VAT in former smokers was highest within 2 years of abstinence. There was no significant difference of mean VAT between ex-smokers with >20 years of abstinence duration and never smokers.


CONCLUSIONS
Both current and former smoking is associated with increased VAT. The risk of visceral obesity is proportional to the degree of exposure to cigarette smoking.
Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Kiheon
K
Lee
Cheol Min
CM
Lee
Hyuk Tae
HT
Kwon
Seung-Won
SW
Oh
Hochun
H
Choi
Jin Ho
JH
Park
Belong
B
Cho
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D050507:Subcutaneous Fat, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult