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The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Advance Access published online on June 26, 2009
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, doi:10.1093/gerona/glp079
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Associations of the Limb Fat to Trunk Fat Ratio With Markers of Cardiometabolic Risk in Elderly Men and Women

Travis J. Saunders1, Lance E. Davidson2, Peter M. Janiszewski1, Jean-Pierre Després3,4, Robert Hudson5 and Robert Ross1,5

1 School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
2 New York Obesity Research Center, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University
3 Quebec Heart Institute, Laval Hospital Research Center, Sainte-Foy, Canada
4 Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Division of Kinesiology, Laval University, Quebec, Canada
5 Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Address correspondence to Robert Ross, PhD, School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, 69 Union Street, Room 208, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6. Email: rossr{at}queensu.ca


  Abstract

Background: The ratio of limb fat to trunk fat (LF/TF) is associated with markers of cardiometabolic risk in elderly men and women. It is unknown if LF/TF is associated with cardiometabolic risk beyond that explained by LF and TF independently.

Methods: Participants included abdominally obese men (n = 58) and women (n = 78) between 60 and 80 years of age. Regional adiposity was quantified using magnetic resonance imaging. Insulin resistance, fasting glucose, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, plasma triglycerides, and adiponectin were determined using standard procedures.

Results: After control for potential confounders, TF was positively associated with fasting glucose, insulin resistance, and plasma triglycerides and negatively associated with HDL cholesterol and adiponectin (p ≤ .05). These associations were strengthened after further control for LF (p < .05), with the exception of adiponectin in men (p > .05). After control for potential confounders, LF was negatively associated with adiponectin in men (p < .05) but not with any other marker of cardiometabolic risk (p > .05). After further control for TF, LF was negatively associated with plasma triglycerides and positively associated with HDL cholesterol in both genders combined (p < .05) and with adiponectin in women (p < .05) but not in men (p > .05). LF/TF was not associated with any marker of cardiometabolic risk after control for LF and TF.

Conclusion: These results suggest that it is the absolute, rather than relative, amounts of LF and TF that have the greatest influence on cardiometabolic risk in elderly men and women.

Keywords Trunk fat; Limb fat; Insulin resistance; Adiponectin; Aging

Received: December 10, 2008; Accepted: May 28, 2009

Decision Editor: Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD


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