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Epidemiology and Population Health

Adult weight change in relation to visceral fat and liver fat at middle age: The Netherlands epidemiology of obesity study

International Journal of Obesity volume 43, pages 790–799 (2019)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

We aimed to investigate the associations between weight change during adulthood and the amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, and liver fat at middle age.

Methods

The Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) study is a population-based cohort of 6671 middle-aged men and women. We calculated the percentage of weight change during adulthood based on body weight at middle age and recalled body weight at age 20. Abdominal subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in addition to hepatic triglyceride content by 1H-MR spectroscopy in a random subgroup (maximum of n = 2580). With multivariable linear regression analysis, we examined the associations between categories of adult weight change, body mass index (BMI) at age 20 and measures of abdominal adiposity at middle age, adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, lifestyle factors, menopausal status, parity, use of medication and total body fat at middle age.

Results

In 2399 participants (54% women), individuals who gained more than 50% of body weight during adulthood had 1.96 (95% CI: 1.64; 2.33) times more visceral adipose tissue at middle age and 2.39 (95% CI: 1.70, 3.36) times more hepatic triglyceride content than weight maintainers (weight change between −5% and 5%). Associations with abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue were weaker: participants who gained more than 50% of their body weight had 1.54 (95% CI: 1.38, 1.72) times more abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue compared with weight maintainers.

Conclusions

In this population-based study, adult weight gain was associated with relatively more visceral adipose tissue and hepatic triglyceride content at middle age than abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue. Overall, our study suggests that weight maintenance during adulthood plays an important role in limiting excess visceral adipose tissue and hepatic triglyceride content at middle age.

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Acknowledgements

We express our gratitude to all individuals who participate in the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study. We are grateful to all participating general practitioners for inviting eligible participants. We furthermore thank P.R. van Beelen and all research nurses for collecting the data and P.J. Noordijk and her team for sample handling and storage and I. de Jonge, M.Sc. for data management of the NEO study.

Funding

The NEO study is supported by the participating Departments, the Division and the Board of Directors of the Leiden University Medical Centre, and by the Leiden University, Research Profile Area ‘Vascular and Regenerative Medicine’. D.v.H. was supported by the European Commission funded project HUMAN (Health-2013-INNOVATION-1-602757).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Inge Verkouter, Frits R. Rosendaal & Renée de Mutsert

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Inge Verkouter, Raymond Noordam & Diana van Heemst

  3. Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Albert de Roos & Hildo J. Lamb

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  1. Inge Verkouter
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Correspondence to Renée de Mutsert.

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Verkouter, I., Noordam, R., de Roos, A. et al. Adult weight change in relation to visceral fat and liver fat at middle age: The Netherlands epidemiology of obesity study. Int J Obes 43, 790–799 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-018-0163-5

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