Relationship between visceral fat accumulation and physical fitness in Japanese women

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the link between visceral fat (V) accumulation and physical fitness. Design: Cross-sectional clinical investigation study. Subjects: Twenty-eight overweight Japanese women with abdominal obesity (abdominal obesity) (body mass index, BMI≧25, visceral fat area≧100cm2) aged 38–65 years (BMI 29.5±3.3kg/m2) were enrolled in this study. They were compared with age and sex matched 28 normal weight subjects (BMI<25, visceral fat area<100cm2) and 28 overweight subjects without abdominal obesity (overweight) (BMI≧25, visceral fat area<100cm2). Measurements: Fat distribution was evaluated by visceral fat and subcutaneous fat (S) areas measured by computed tomography (CT) scanning at umbilical level. Anthropometric parameters, aerobic exercise level, muscle strength, flexibility and blood examination were also investigated. Results: Anthropometric and body composition parameters were significantly higher in abdominal obesity subjects than those in normal weight subjects. BMI, waist circumference, waist hip ratio and visceral fat (V) area were also significantly higher than those in overweight subjects. Reduced oxygen uptake at ventilatory threshold (VT), lowering weight bearing index (WBI), and elevation of blood enzymes were noted in abdominal obesity subjects. There were significant relationships between oxygen uptake at VT and visceral fat area, and also between oxygen uptake at VT and WBI. Conclusion: Reduced aerobic exercise level and WBI are characteristic and visceral fat may play an important role for the etiology in Japanese women with abdominal obesity.