Modifying influence of dietary sugar in the relationship between cortisol and visceral adipose tissue in minority youth.
OBJECTIVE
Cortisol has been associated with preferential visceral adipose tissue (VAT) deposition; however, findings in humans are mixed, which may be clarified when diet is considered.


METHODS
Participants included 165 African-American and Latino, overweight adolescents (BMI% 97.2±3.2%, ages 13-18, 67% Latino, 66% female). Body composition was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, abdominal fat depots [VAT, subcutaneous (SAT)] by multiple-slice MRI, time-controlled serum sample to measure cortisol, and 2-day multi-pass 24-hour dietary recall. Linear regression analysis examined the cross-sectional relationship between cortisol, and the interaction of diet and cortisol on adiposity measures. Sex, race, age, and total body fat were a priori covariates.


RESULTS
There was a significant interaction between cortisol and sugar (total and added) in the prediction of VAT (P(interaction)  ≤ 0.05). Amongst participants with high total or added-sugar intake, cortisol was significantly associated with VAT (ß = 0.031 P < 0.001; ß = 0.026 P < 0.001), with no relationship in low consumers of total or added-sugar.


CONCLUSIONS
Dietary sugar may play an important role in modifying the relationship between cortisol and VAT, such that cortisol is significantly associated with elevated VAT under conditions of high sugar intake.
Department of Preventive Medicine, Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Lauren E
LE
Gyllenhammer
Marc J
MJ
Weigensberg
Donna
D
Spruijt-Metz
Hooman
H
Allayee
Michael I
MI
Goran
Jaimie N
JN
Davis
D050154:Adiposity / Q000208:ethnology; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000208:ethnology; D001741:Black or African American; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000208:ethnology; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000473:pathology*; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D050177:Overweight / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology
D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D006854:Hydrocortisone