Original Article

International Journal of Obesity (2009) 33, 131–135; doi:10.1038/ijo.2008.222; published online 4 November 2008

Visceral fat amount is associated with carotid atherosclerosis even in type 2 diabetic men with a normal waist circumference

S K Kim1,2, S W Park1, S H Kim3, B S Cha2,4, H C Lee2,4 and Y W Cho1

  1. 1Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Pochon CHA University, Sungnam, Korea
  2. 2Brain Korea 21 Project for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  3. 3Department of Internal Medicine, Kwandong University College of Medicine, Koyang, Korea
  4. 4Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence: Dr SK Kim, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Pochon CHA University, 351 Yatap-dong, Bundang-gu, Sungnam 463-712, Korea. E-mail: imdrksk@chollian.net

Received 18 August 2008; Revised 2 October 2008; Accepted 6 October 2008; Published online 4 November 2008.

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Abstract

Objective:

 

Our objective was to investigate whether determination of the quantity of visceral fat has an additional benefit in assessing atherosclerotic burden in men with type 2 diabetes compared with the traditional measurement of waist circumference (WC) alone.

Methods:

 

This was an observational study performed in 368 men with type 2 diabetes, consecutively enrolled in Diabetes Clinics. Common carotid artery far-wall intima-media thickness (IMT), WC and visceral fat thickness (VFT), as measured by ultrasonography, were measured for each subject. Abdominal and visceral obesity were defined as a WC >90 cm and a VFT greater than or equal to47.6 mm, respectively.

Results:

 

Among subjects with abdominal obesity (n=174), 35 subjects did not have visceral obesity. In contrast, among the subjects without abdominal obesity (n=194), 88 patients had visceral obesity. Despite no differences in age, glucose control, lipid profile and treatment modalities, there was a significant difference in carotid IMT based on VFT strata, but not WC strata. The subjects without abdominal obesity, but who had visceral obesity, had a higher carotid IMT compared with subjects with abdominal obesity, but without visceral obesity (maximal, 0.94plusminus0.35 vs 0.78plusminus0.17 mm; and average, 0.74plusminus0.19 vs 0.64plusminus0.14 mm, respectively, P<0.001).

Conclusions:

 

Subjects having visceral obesity, regardless of a normal WC, showed a higher carotid IMT compared with those with increased WC, but less visceral fat. In addition to WC, a direct estimation for visceral fat may provide an additional role in assessing atherosclerotic burden in men with type 2 diabetes.

Keywords:

atherosclerosis, intima-media thickness, type 2 diabetes, visceral fat

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