title: Abdominal adipose tissue compartments vary with ethnicity in Asian neonates: Growing Up in Singapore Toward Healthy Outcomes birth cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A susceptibility to metabolic diseases is associated with abdominal adipose tissue distribution and varies between ethnic groups. The distribution of abdominal adipose tissue at birth may give insights into whether ethnicity-associated variations in metabolic risk originate partly in utero.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We assessed the influence of ethnicity on abdominal adipose tissue compartments in Asian neonates in the Growing Up in Singapore Toward Healthy Outcomes mother-offspring cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  MRI was performed at ≤2 wk after birth in 333 neonates born at ≥34 wk of gestation and with birth weights ≥2000 g. Abdominal superficial subcutaneous tissue (sSAT), deep subcutaneous tissue (dSAT), and internal adipose tissue (IAT) compartment volumes (absolute and as a percentage of the total abdominal volume) were quantified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In multivariate analyses that were controlled for sex, age, and parity, the absolute and percentage of dSAT and the percentage of sSAT (but not absolute sSAT) were greater, whereas absolute IAT (but not the percentage of IAT) was lower, in Indian neonates than in Chinese neonates. Compared with Chinese neonates, Malay neonates had greater percentages of sSAT and dSAT but similar percentages of IAT. Marginal structural model analyses largely confirmed the results on the basis of volume percentages with controlled direct effects of ethnicity on abdominal adipose tissue; dSAT was significantly greater (1.45 mL; 95% CI: 0.49, 2.41 mL, P = 0.003) in non-Chinese (Indian or Malay) neonates than in Chinese neonates. However, ethnic differences in sSAT and IAT were NS [3.06 mL (95% CI:-0.27, 6.39 mL; P = 0.0712) for sSAT and -1.30 mL (95% CI: -2.64, 0.04 mL; P = 0.057) for IAT in non-Chinese compared with Chinese neonates, respectively].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Indian and Malay neonates have a greater dSAT volume than do Chinese neonates. This finding supports the notion that in utero influences may contribute to higher cardiometabolic risk observed in Indian and Malay persons in our population. If such differences persist in the longitudinal tracking of adipose tissue growth, these differences may contribute to the ethnic disparities in risks of cardiometabolic diseases. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01174875.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics and.
authors.forename: Mya Thway
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9548-7186
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Tint
authors.affiliation: Departments of Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging.
authors.forename: Marielle V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Fortier
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit and National Institute for Health Research Southampton Biomedical Research Center, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton National Health Service Foundation Trust, Southampton, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Keith M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Godfrey
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and.
authors.forename: Borys
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shuter
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging, National University Hospital, and.
authors.forename: Jeevesh
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kapur
authors.affiliation: Neonatology, and.
authors.forename: Victor S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Rajadurai
authors.affiliation: Neonatology, and.
authors.forename: Pratibha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology and.
authors.forename: Amutha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chinnadurai
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology and.
authors.forename: Krishnamoorthy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Niduvaje
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and.
authors.forename: Yiong-Huak
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics and Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore;
authors.forename: Izzuddin Bin Mohd
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Aris
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore;
authors.forename: Shu-E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Soh
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Endocrinology, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore; Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore;
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yap
authors.affiliation: Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore;
authors.forename: Seang-Mei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Saw
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; and.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore; Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Gluckman
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore; obgcys@nus.edu.sg paeleeys@nus.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Yap-Seng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics and Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children's Medical Institute, National University Health System, Singapore; Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore; obgcys@nus.edu.sg paeleeys@nus.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Yung-Seng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D050154:Adiposity / Q000208:ethnology*; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012846:Singapore; D050507:Subcutaneous Fat, Abdominal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
keywords: Asian neonates; MRI; abdominal adipose tissue compartments; birth cohort study; ethnic differences; metabolic risk