title: Regional fat distribution and cardiometabolic risk in healthy postmenopausal women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Regional fat distribution is an important determinant of cardiometabolic risk after menopause. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between indices of fat distribution obtained by Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) and representative cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of healthy postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, cardiometabolic risk factors were correlated with a variety of central and peripheral fat depots obtained by DXA, in a total of 150 postmenopausal women, free of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (age 54 ± 7 years, BMI 29.6 ± 5.8 kg/m(2), mean ± 1 SD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting for age and total adiposity, DXA-derived indices of central and peripheral fat distribution displayed opposite associations (positive versus negative) with the examined cardiometabolic risk factors. In multivariate regression analysis, thoracic fat mass % was an independent predictor of blood pressure, HOMA index and triglycerides, abdominal fat mass % was an independent predictor of high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and abdominal-to-gluteofemoral fat ratio was an independent predictor of high density lipoprotein cholesterol. An index of peripheral fat distribution, gluteofemoral fat mass %, proved to be the most important determinant of metabolic syndrome (Odds Ratio 0.76, 95% confidence intervals 0.67-0.87, p<0.001), independent of total and central adiposity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DXA-derived indices of regional fat distribution such as thoracic, abdominal and gluteofemoral fat, correlate significantly with cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy postmenopausal women, and may serve as clinically useful tools for evaluating cardiometabolic risk after menopause.
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Unit, Second Department of Internal Medicine-Propaedeutic, Research Institute and Diabetes Center, Attikon University Hospital, 1 Rimini Street, 12462 Haidari, Athens, Greece. Electronic address: molypepa@otenet.gr.
authors.forename: Melpomeni
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peppa
authors.forename: Chrysi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koliaki
authors.forename: Dimitrios I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Hadjidakis
authors.forename: Efstathios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garoflos
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papaefstathiou
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Katsilambros
authors.forename: Sotirios A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Raptis
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Dimitriadis
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat; D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D001794:Blood Pressure; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000378:metabolism; D050177:Overweight / Q000378:metabolism*; D017698:Postmenopause; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: Cardiometabolic risk factors; Central adiposity; Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry; Peripheral adiposity; Postmenopausal women; Regional fat distribution