1. ¹Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga, Japan
2. ²Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
3. ³Department of Radiology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga, Japan
4. ⁴Department of Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga, Japan
5. ⁵Department of Clinical Nursing, Shiga University of Medical Science, Shiga, Japan
6. ⁶University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA, USA

Correspondence: Dr T Kadowaki, Department of Health Science, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta-tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan. E-mail: kadowaki@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp

Received 28 February 2005; Revised 21 November 2005; Accepted 29 December 2005; Published online 31 January 2006.

Abstract

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is an independent risk factor for metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. There has been no study that demonstrated different abdominal fat distribution between Asian and Caucasian men. As the Japanese are less obese but more susceptible to metabolic disorders than Caucasians, they may have larger VAT than Caucasians at similar levels of obesity. We compared the abdominal fat distribution of the Japanese (n=239) and Caucasian-American (n=177) men aged 40–49 years in groups stratified by waist circumference in a population-based sample. We obtained computed tomography images and determined areas of VAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). We calculated VAT to SAT ratio (VSR). The Japanese men had a larger VAT and VSR in each stratum, despite substantially less obesity overall. In multiethnic studies, difference in abdominal fat distribution should be considered in exploring factors related to obesity.