Elsevier

Obesity Research & Clinical Practice

Volume 8, Issue 1, January–February 2014, Pages e16-e25
Obesity Research & Clinical Practice

Original article
Association of dietary factors with abdominal subcutaneous and visceral adiposity in Japanese men

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2012.07.005Get rights and content

Summary

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between dietary factors and abdominal subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue in overweight and obese men.

Methods

A pooled cross-sectional analysis was conducted to evaluate the associations between dietary factors (nutrition, dietary pattern and alcohol consumption) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and visceral fat area (VFA) in 301 Japanese men, aged 21–65 years.

Results

The standardized regression coefficients of major dietary items (total energy intake, energy intake from breakfast, lunch, supper, between-meal, protein, fat, carbohydrate and alcohol) were positive for VFA in multiple linear regression analyses with the use of age and dietary items as independent variables. The energy intake from between-meal snacks correlated with SFA (standardized regression coefficient β = 0.174, p = 0.002). The coefficient of alcohol intake was positive for VFA and negative for SFA, and alcohol intake correlated with the VFA/total fat area (TFA) ratio (β = 0.130, p = 0.009). Alcohol intake was positively correlated with the blood non-esterified fatty acid concentration. Alcohol consumption additively increased energy intake from supper. The risk of an increase to VFA ≥100 cm2 was 2.02 times higher (95% CI: 1.15, 3.56) for subjects whose energy intake was ≥2200 kcal/d, and 2.07 times higher (95% CI: 1.26, 3.42) in those who consumed ≥3 g/d alcohol. The risk of an increase to a VFA/TFA ratio ≥0.4 was 1.81 times higher (95% CI: 1.01, 3.23) for subjects whose energy intake from supper was ≥1000 kcal/d.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that habitual alcohol drinking and high-energy intake from supper are associated with disproportionate accumulation of visceral fat.

Introduction

Visceral adiposity is essential for the development of metabolic syndrome [1], [2], [3]. The incidence of metabolic syndrome is increasing in Japan and countermeasures are urgently required. Although various dietary factors are known to be involved in the development of metabolic syndrome, few studies have investigated the relationship between visceral fat accumulation or fat distribution and meals. Alcohol consumption is associated with visceral fat. Cigolini et al. [4] reported a positive correlation between visceral adipose tissue and alcohol intake in women. Komiya et al. [5] reported that excessive drinking is associated with visceral adiposity in men. Molenaar et al. [6] reported that a high alcohol intake (>14 drinks/week in men and >7 drinks/week in women) is associated with greater visceral fat accumulation. We investigated the influences of dietary factors, including alcohol consumption, on visceral fat accumulation and fat distribution.

Section snippets

Design

A pooled cross-sectional analysis of three studies in Japan was conducted. Each of three studies was a randomized double-blind, controlled parallel multicenter trial to assess the efficacy of a beverage for overweight men. Each of three studies was consisting of a 2-week run-in period and a 12-week treatment period. Energy and fat intake was not limited throughout the trial period, but supplemental food products or medications known to influence lipid or carbohydrate metabolism were prohibited.

Characteristics of subjects

Table 1 shows the means ± SD of the physical, metabolic, and nutritional characteristics of the subjects. VFA ranged from 28 to 389 cm2, and those with a VFA  100 cm2 accounted for 60% of the subjects. The VFA/TFA ratio ranged from 0.149 to 0.637, and subjects with a VFA/TFA ratio  0.4 accounted for 45% of the subjects. The VFA/TFA ratio was judged to have a normal distribution. The distribution of energy intake from between-meal snacks had a longer tail toward the higher-value direction, and the

Discussion

The accumulation of visceral fat is associated with aging [10], [11], [12], [13]. Huffman and Barzilai [14] reviewed the role of visceral adipose tissue in aging. Eguchi et al. [13] reported differences in the levels of visceral and subcutaneous fat and the VFA/TFA ratio in age subgroups of Japanese. Age-related differences in the VFA and VFA/TFA ratio were also observed in the present study. We analyzed the age-adjusted correlation and odds ratio to clarify the influence of dietary habits.

Conflict of interest

There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

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