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Clinical Studies and Practice

Less favorable body composition and adipokines in South Asians compared with other US ethnic groups: results from the MASALA and MESA studies

International Journal of Obesity volume 40, pages 639–645 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background:

Small studies have shown that South Asians (SAs) have more total body, subcutaneous, visceral and hepatic fat and abnormal adipokine levels compared with Whites. However, comprehensive studies of body composition and adipokines in SAs compared with other ethnic groups are lacking.

Methods:

Using harmonized data, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of two community-based cohorts: Mediators of Atherosclerosis of South Asians Living in America (MASALA, n=906) and Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA which included 2622 Whites, 803 Chinese Americans, 1893 African Americans and 1496 Latinos). General linear models were developed to assess the ethnic differences in ectopic fat (visceral, intermuscular and pericardial fat; and hepatic attenuation), lean muscle mass and adipokines (adiponectin and resistin). Models were adjusted for age, sex, site, alcohol use, smoking, exercise, education, household income and body mass index. Ectopic fat models were additionally adjusted for hypertension, diabetes, high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides. Adipokine models were adjusted for subcutaneous, visceral, intermuscular and pericardial fat; and hepatic attenuation.

Results:

Compared with all ethnic groups in MESA (Whites, Chinese Americans, African Americans and Latinos), SAs had greater intermuscular fat (pairwise comparisons with each MESA group, P<0.01), lower hepatic attenuation (P<0.001) and less lean mass (P<0.001). SAs had greater visceral fat compared with Chinese Americans, African Americans and Latinos (P<0.05) and greater pericardial fat compared with African Americans (P<0.001). SAs had lower adiponectin levels compared with other ethnic groups (P<0.01; except Chinese Americans) and higher resistin levels than all groups (P<0.001), even after adjusting for differences in body composition.

Conclusion:

There are significant ethnic differences in ectopic fat, lean mass and adipokines. A less favorable body composition and adipokine profile in SAs may partially explain the increased predisposition to cardiometabolic disease. The mechanisms that underlie these differences warrant further investigation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the other investigators, the staff and the participants of the MASALA and MESA studies for their valuable contributions. A full list of participating MESA investigators and institutions can be found at http://www.mesa-nhlbi.org. The MASALA study was supported by the NIH grant no.1R01 HL093009 and K24HL112827. Data collection at UCSF was supported by NIH/NCRR UCSF-CTSI Grant Number UL1 RR024131. Dr Shah was supported by NIH grant 5T32DK007418-34, the Wilsey Family Foundation and the Cliff Lede Family Foundation. The MESA study was funded by contracts N01-HC-95159, N01-HC-95160, N01-HC-95161, N01-HC-95162, N01-HC-95163, N01-HC-95164, N01-HC-95165, N01-HC-95166, N01-HC-95167, N01-HC-95168 and N01-HC-95169 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and by grants UL1-TR-000040 and UL1-TR-001079 from NCRR. The pericardial fat and hepatic attenuation measurements for MESA were supported by NIH grant 5RO1HL085323-04. The MESA Body Composition, Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease Ancillary Study was supported by NIH grant RO1-HL088451. The sponsors for both studies did not have a significant role in the analysis, interpretation and presentation of these results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    A D Shah & A M Kanaya

  2. Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    N R Kandula

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    F Lin

  4. Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

    M A Allison

  5. Department of Radiology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    J Carr

  6. Department of Medicine, Wake Forest University Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    D Herrington

  7. Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    K Liu

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Correspondence to A M Kanaya.

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Shah, A., Kandula, N., Lin, F. et al. Less favorable body composition and adipokines in South Asians compared with other US ethnic groups: results from the MASALA and MESA studies. Int J Obes 40, 639–645 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2015.219

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