Abstract
There is a higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in South African white than black women. The objective of this study was to determine biochemical explanations for this prevalence. The study group contained 15 obese black women (OBW) and 14 obese white women (OWW), all premenopausal, who were examined after an overnight fast. Anthropometric measurements and blood concentrations of glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs), catecholamines, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, C-peptide, proinsulin, lipograms, cortisol, growth hormone, and post-heparin lipoprotein lipase activity were measured during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis, and subcutaneous and visceral fat mass were assessed with CT-scans. Visceral fat area was higher in OWW (139.7 ± 10.7 cm2) than in OBW (72.3 ± 3.9 cm2) (P < 0.01), as were fasting and 3 h triglyceride concentrations (P < 0.05 for all). OWW also had higher NEFA levels than OBW at 3 and 4 h compared with OBW (P < 0.05 for both). Fasting cortisol (266 ± 24 vs. 197 ± 19 nmol/l; P < 0.05) was higher in OWW than in OBW.These data demonstrate that OWW have higher visceral fat mass than OBW, which may lead to a more atherogenic fasting and postprandial lipid profile. The higher cortisol levels of the OWW may promote visceral fat deposition.
Highlights
There is a higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in South African white than black women
The present study shows that visceral fat area and Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) were greater in the obese white population
Previous studies of obese white women (OWW) and obese black women (OBW) matched for fat mass demonstrated interethnic differences in visceral fat area [10, 18]
Summary
There is a higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in South African white than black women. Previous research has demonstrated a less atherogenic fasting lipid profile in the South African black, as compared with the white, population [8]. The aim of the present investigation was, to study the lipid profile of the prolonged post-glucose phase and to measure biochemical and anthropometric variables that may contribute to the higher prevalence of IHD in the white population. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), visceral fat mass, and fasting and post-glucose lipograms were analyzed together with hormonal factors that are known to affect lipid metabolism, i.e., insulin, growth hormone, cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
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