Intra-abdominal fat area is a predictor for new onset of individual components of metabolic syndrome: MEtabolic syndRome and abdominaL ObesiTy (MERLOT study).
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the significance of intra-abdominal fat area (IAFA) on new onset of individual components of the metabolic syndrome: high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, or hyperglycemia.


METHODS
We conducted a longitudinal study using checkup data of a hospital from 1994 to 2010. Of 25,255 subjects, we examined 1,380 Japanese, who underwent computed tomography to measure IAFA and had no metabolic syndrome components at baseline.


RESULTS
During 3.6 years of the mean follow-up period, one of metabolic syndrome components occurred in 752 subjects. Of three components, high blood pressure was more prevalent. The multiple Cox regression analysis disclosed that IAFA is significantly associated with onset of metabolic syndrome components (HR: 1.05 per 10 cm(2), 95%CI: 1.03-1.07). This finding was independent of BMI, and significant even in non-obese individuals with body mass index <25 kg/m(2).


CONCLUSIONS
MERLOT study demonstrates that IAFA is an independent predictor for new onset of individual components of the metabolic syndrome, even in non-obese healthy Japanese.
Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. nakao@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Yoko M
YM
Nakao
Takashi
T
Miyawaki
Shinji
S
Yasuno
Kazuhiro
K
Nakao
Sachiko
S
Tanaka
Midori
M
Ida
Masakazu
M
Hirata
Masato
M
Kasahara
Kiminori
K
Hosoda
Kenji
K
Ueshima
Kazuwa
K
Nakao
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000150:complications; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000378:metabolism*; D007564:Japan; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult