Impact of Race/Ethnicity on the Relationship Between Visceral Fat and Inflammatory Biomarkers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether racial/ethnic differences exist in the relationship between visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and selected inflammatory biomarkers. Subjects included 136 African‐American, 133 Hispanic, and 100 white men and women, aged ≥45. Waist circumference and BMI were measured using standard methods. Total VAT, and VAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) at the L4L5 spinal level were measured using computed tomography. Interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), C‐reactive protein (CRP), and fibrinogen were measured from fasting blood samples. Results revealed that waist circumference and BMI were similar among groups but African Americans had significantly lower L4L5 VAT compared with Hispanics and whites. Despite lower VAT, African‐American men had similar concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers. On the other hand, African‐American women had higher CRP and IL‐6 than white women, and higher fibrinogen than both Hispanic and white women. After controlling for L4L5 VAT, L4L5 SAT, and age, African‐American women had higher concentrations of IL‐6 and fibrinogen. Stratified analyses for CRP indicated that L4L5 SAT was associated with CRP in African‐American and white women after controlling for L4L5 VAT and age, but that the reverse was not true. These data indicate that African Americans had lower VAT but similar or higher concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers. African‐American women consistently displayed greater inflammation compared with whites, even after controlling for VAT or SAT.

Body Mass Index as a Measure of Obesity: Racial Differences in Predictive Value for Health Parameters During Pregnancy

“…Consistent with this notion, although not found in all studies, 40,42,44 evidence suggests that waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio may be more valid than BMI across racial groups. For example, as described earlier, BMI differentially predicts all-cause mortality among African Americans versus European Americans; however, the same study demonstrated that waist circumference is a robust predictor among both races.…”

“…39 Thus, it is notable that prior studies have shown that at similar or even lower BMI, European Americans exhibit greater visceral adiposity than African Americans. [40][41][42][43] Moreover, when evaluated as a linear relationship, BMI is more strongly associated with visceral adiposity among European Americans than African Americans. 44 Thus, measures that capture central adiposity may provide better or complementary information.…”

Physical activity and global genomic DNA methylation in a cancer-free population

“…Briefly, study participants were recruited from the general population and primary care clinics through the NorTex network (www.hsc.unt.edu/ Nortex), using either public advertisement or physician's referral. [25][26][27] The inclusion criteria include (1) males and females over the age of 45, (2) being Caucasian, Hispanic or African American and (3) no current or previous self-reported history of stroke, peripheral arterial disease, renal failure, heart failure or coronary heart disease and cancer.…”

Markers of Inflammation Are Heritable and Associated with Subcutaneous and Ectopic Skeletal Muscle Adiposity in African Ancestry Families

“…Data on ethnic differences in IL-6 and TNF-a are more limited. Some studies found higher concentrations of IL-6, 40 but similar levels of TNF-a 41 in individuals of African compared with European ancestry. Our study only focused on African ancestry individuals, and it is not possible to compare our values with these other studies due to assay differences and differences in cohort characteristics.…”