Abstract
Anthropometric indices, such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist to height ratio (WHtR), have limitations in accurately predicting the pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome due to ethnic differences in fat distribution. Recent studies showed that the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) deposition and fat content of internal organs, most notably intra-hepatic and intra-pancreatic fat, has emerged as a more important parameter. In this study, we aimed to assess the coordination between the traditional anthropometric indices and the various fat depositions within different ethnicities in New Zealand. We recruited 104 participants with different ethnic backgrounds, including New Zealand Europeans, Māori (the indigenous people of New Zealand), Pacific Islanders (PI), and Asians. Their weight, height, and WC were measured, and subcutaneous, visceral, intra-hepatic, and intra-pancreatic fat depositions were obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The result showed VAT, but not subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) depositions at all levels were significantly varied among the three groups. BMI was associated best with L23SAT in NZ Europeans (30%) and L45VAT in Māori/PI (24.3%). WC and WHtR were correlated well with L45SAT in the total population (18.8% and 12.2%, respectively). Intra-pancreatic fat deposition had a positive Pearson relationship with NZ European BMI and Māori/PI WC, but no regression correlation with anthropometric indices. Conventional anthropometric indices did not correspond to the same fat depositions across different ethnic groups.
Highlights
Distribution of fat is increasingly recognized as a key factor predisposing to type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease [1]
Estimation of abdominal fat content is often done with the use of anthropometric indices, such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)
Investigation of health and ethnic background was conducted to all patients before they went through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to make sure that they had no drug history and no malignancy, diabetes, coeliac disease, cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, pregnancy, or symptoms of upper abdominal pain and nausea
Summary
Distribution of fat is increasingly recognized as a key factor predisposing to type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease [1]. Fat around abdominal organs, termed “visceral adipose tissue” (VAT), is associated more closely with metabolic disorders than subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) [2,3]. Estimation of abdominal fat content is often done with the use of anthropometric indices, such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). These indices are widely used as screening tools for adult cardiometabolic risk and are widely applied in the public as a way to predict metabolic syndrome and mortality [8]. In recent years, the fat content of internal organs, most notably intra-hepatic and intra-pancreatic fat, has emerged as a more important parameter in obesity, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer [9,10,11,12,13]
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