Change of neck circumference in relation to visceral fat area: a Chinese community-based longitudinal cohort study

Anthropometric and metabolic parameters associated with visceral fat in non-obese type 2 diabetes individuals

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Visceral fat (VF) was proved to be a more precise predictor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than body mass index (BMI) itself. Even when the BMI was normal, visceral fat area (VFA) ≥ 90 cm² could raise the ten-year risk of developing ASCVD. Therefore, it was worth evaluating the association of influencing factors with high VF in non-obese T2DM individuals.

METHODS

This study enrolled 1,409 T2DM participants with T2DM, of whom 538 had a normal BMI. Based on VFA, these subjects were divided into two groups: VF (+) (VFA ≥ 90cm2) (n = 110) and VF (-) (VFA < 90cm2) (n = 428). The measurement of VFA was conducted using an Omron VF measuring device. Anthropometric and metabolic parameters were detected. Novel insulin resistance indices, such as lipid accumulation product (LAP) was calculated. Factors associated with VF were screened using univariate analysis, multifactorial binary logistic regression models and chi-squared automatic interaction detector decision tree model.

RESULTS

The VF (+) OB (-) (BMI ≤ 23.9 kg/m2) prevalence were 7.8% in T2DM subjects (n = 1,409) and 20.4% in T2DM subjects with normal BMI (n = 538), respectively. In T2DM subjects with normal BMI, the logistic regression model suggested that neck circumference (NC) had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.891 (95% CI: 1.165-3.069, P = 0.010). The OR for VF gradually increased from the 1st to the 4th in LAP quartile (P < 0.05). LAP emerged as the root node, followed by NC in the decision tree model. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis demonstrated that the area under the curve (AUC) for NC in predicting high VF levels was 0.640 for males and 0.682 for females. Optimal NC cut-off points were 37.75 cm for males and 34.75 cm for females, respectively. Additionally, the AUC values of LAP in predicting high VF levels were 0.745 for males and 0.772 for females, with optimal LAP cut-off points of 22.64 and 26.45 for males and females, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study identified NC and LAP can be considered predictors of high VF in T2DM subjects with normal BMI.

The value of lipid accumulation products in predicting type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study on elderlies over 65 in Shanghai

Purpose

As lifestyle changes, there is an increasing number of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in China. The present study aimed to investigate the predictive value of the lipid accumulation product (LAP) for T2DM in Chinese elderlies over 65 years.

Methods

The present cross-sectional study recruited 2,092 adults from communities of Pudong New Area of Shanghai. Questionnaires were filled and anthropometric and laboratory examinations were completed by all participants. The predictive value of different risk factors for T2DM was analyzed using the receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC).

Results

LAP was found to be closely related to T2DM (adjusted OR: 0.613, 95% CI: 0.581-0.645). Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), LAP, and urea nigrogen (UN) were associated with T2DM in females, whereas FPG, LAP, neck circumference (NC) were associated with T2DM in males. When the cut-off value was 33.8, LAP displayed the optimal predictive performance. A gender difference was observed with an LAP of 37.95 demonstrating the best predictive value in males (AUC = 0.604, 95% CI: 0.577-0.652) and 60.2 in females (AUC = 0.617, 95% CI: 0.574-0.660), respectively.

Conclusion

LAP is more significantly associated with the risk of T2DM in elderlies than FPG, UN or NC, and it serves as a strong predictor of T2DM. However, this is impacted by FPG and neck circumference to a certain extent. Future large-scale studies are needed to confirm its efficacy in predicting diabetes.

The value of neck adipose tissue as a predictor for metabolic risk in health and type 2 diabetes

Upper-body adiposity is adversely associated with metabolic health whereas the opposite is observed for the lower-body. The neck is a unique upper-body fat depot in adult humans, housing thermogenic brown adipose tissue (BAT), which is increasingly recognised to influence whole-body metabolic health. Loss of BAT, concurrent with replacement by white adipose tissue (WAT), may contribute to metabolic disease, and specific accumulation of neck fat is seen in certain conditions accompanied by adverse metabolic consequences. Yet, few studies have investigated the relationships between neck fat mass (NFM) and cardiometabolic risk, and the influence of sex and metabolic status. Typically, neck circumference (NC) is used as a proxy for neck fat, without considering other determinants of NC, including variability in neck lean mass. In this study we develop and validate novel methods to quantify NFM using dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) imaging, and subsequently investigate the associations of NFM with metabolic biomarkers across approximately 7000 subjects from the Oxford BioBank. NFM correlated with systemic insulin resistance (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance; HOMA-IR), low-grade inflammation (plasma high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein; hsCRP), and metabolic markers of adipose tissue function (plasma triglycerides and non-esterified fatty acids; NEFA). NFM was higher in men than women, higher in type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with non-diabetes, after adjustment for total body fat, and also associated with overall cardiovascular disease risk (calculated QRISK3 score). This study describes the development of methods for accurate determination of NFM at scale and suggests a specific relationship between NFM and adverse metabolic health.

Adult obesity diagnostic tool: A narrative review

Obesity is a complex chronic metabolic disorder characterized by abnormalities in lipid metabolism. Obesity is not only associated with various chronic diseases but also has negative effects on physiological functions such as the cardiovascular, endocrine and immune systems. As a global health problem, the incidence and prevalence of obesity have increased significantly in recent years. Therefore, understanding assessment methods and measurement indicators for obesity is critical for early screening and effective disease control. Current methods for measuring obesity in adult include density calculation, anthropometric measurements, bioelectrical impedance analysis, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, computerized imaging, etc. Measurement indicators mainly include weight, hip circumference, waist circumference, neck circumference, skinfold thickness, etc. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the literature to date, summarizes and analyzes various assessment methods and measurement indicators for adult obesity, and provides insights and guidance for the innovation of obesity assessment indicators.

Associations of Serum Uric Acid to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio with Trunk Fat Mass and Visceral Fat Accumulation

Background

It has been reported recently that the ratio of uric acid to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (UHR) is correlated with several metabolic disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the associations of UHR with body fat content and distribution.

Methods

This study enrolled 300 participants (58 men and 242 women) aged 18 to 65 years. The levels of serum uric acid and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured by standard enzymatic methods. The overall fat content and segmental fat distribution were assessed with an automatic bioelectrical impedance analyzer. In the population with obesity, the visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) were measured using magnetic resonance imaging.

Results

Among the study population, 219 individuals (73.0%) were with obesity. The median level of UHR in individuals with obesity was 33.7% (26.2% - 45.9%), which was significantly higher than that in those without obesity [22.6% (17.0% - 34.4%), P < 0.01]. UHR was positively associated with overall fat content and segmental fat distribution parameters (all P < 0.01). In multivariate linear regression analysis, compared with body mass index, waist circumference was more closely associated with UHR (standardized β = 0.427, P < 0.001) after adjusting for confounding factors. Additionally, total fat mass (standardized β = 0.225, P = 0.002) and trunk fat mass (standardized β = 0.296, P = 0.036) were more closely linked to UHR than total fat-free mass and leg fat mass, respectively. In the population with obesity, VFA was independently correlated with UHR (P < 0.01), while SFA was not associated with UHR.

Conclusion

UHR was significantly associated with overall fat content and trunk fat accumulation. In the population with obesity, UHR was positively associated with VFA. Attention should be paid to the role of excessive trunk fat mass in the relationship between UHR and metabolic disorders.

Neck circumference as a potential indicator of pre-sarcopenic obesity in a cohort of community-based individuals

BACKGROUND & AIMS

ESPEN/EASO advocates screening for sarcopenic obesity based on the concomitant presence of an elevated body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference. Neck circumference (NC) is another simple and reliable anthropometric measurement for estimating obesity; however, its ability to detect sarcopenic obesity has not yet been established. The aim of the present study was to explore the association between NC and sarcopenic obesity in a Shanghai community population.

METHODS

The study included 1542 participants (622 men and 920 women) with a mean age of 58 years who underwent an examination for the detection of obesity at baseline in 2013-2014 and received a re-examination in 2015-2016. An automatic bioelectric impedance analyzer was used to estimate body composition, and magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure abdominal fat distribution. The definition of pre-sarcopenic obesity combined low skeletal muscle mass adjusted by weight (SMM/W) with obesity which defined according to overall adiposity or fat distribution as BMI ≥25 kg/m2, fat percentage (fat%) ≥ 25% in men and 30% in women, or visceral fat area (VFA) ≥ 80 cm2, respectively.

RESULTS

In both men and women, subjects with low SMM/W had a higher level of NC than those without (both P < 0.01). In turn, participants with elevated NC had a higher proportion of pre-sarcopenic obesity in both men and women, regardless of adiposity status assessed by BMI, fat%, or VFA (all P < 0.01). During an average follow up of 2.1 years, for each 1 cm increase in NC, multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios of pre-sarcopenic obesity in which adiposity status assessed by high BMI were 1.40 (1.11-1.76) in men and 1.32 (1.13-1.56) in women; in addition, such association remained between NC and pre-sarcopenic obesity assessed by high fat% or high VFA.

CONCLUSION

NC is closely associated with the incidence of sarcopenic obesity, suggesting that it could be helpful for screening sarcopenic obesity in a community-based population.