Clinical significance of visceral adiposity assessed by computed tomography: A Japanese perspective.

Abdominal obesity, rather than total amount of fat, is linked to obesity-related disorders. Visceral adiposity is an important component of obesity-related disorders in Japanese individuals with a mild degree of adiposity compared with Western subjects. In 1983, our group reported techniques for body fat analysis using computed tomography (CT) and established the concept of visceral fat obesity in which intra-abdominal fat accumulation is an important factor in the development of obesity-related complications, such as diabetes, lipid disorders, hypertension and atherosclerosis.

[Metabolic syndrome].

Considerable attention has focused on the prevention of dementia in terms of non-genetic risk factors, including midlife obesity, especially visceral obesity associated with hyperglycemia, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Accumulating evidence has indicated that the increased insulin resistance in relation to visceral fat accumulation is potential risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia. Reducing the accumulating visceral fat may contribute to reduce the risk of on set and progression of AD and vascular dementia.

Fat accumulation and obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged Japanese men and women.

Objective: A cluster of multiple risk factors has been noted to constitute the background of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the visceral fat area (VFA) or subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and a cluster of obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors, including hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and elevated blood pressure, in middle-aged Japanese men and women.

Methods: A total of 571 subjects (m=434; f=137; age: 53 ± 9 years) who underwent health examinations with evaluations of body fat distribution using computed tomography scans and assessments of 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests were enrolled in this study.

Short-term intervention reduces bioelectrical impedance analysis-measured visceral fat in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

In 25 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, the short-term in-hospital calorie restriction combined with moderate exercise reduced visceral fat. The reduction of visceral fat can improve metabolic cardiovascular risk factors, while the reductions in body weight and waist circumference were small and reduction in subcutaneous fat was not significant.

Renin-angiotensin system blockers affect cognitive decline and serum adipocytokines in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Accumulating evidence indicates an association of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with the metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterized by visceral fat accumulation with insulin resistance and altered secretion of adipocytokines such as adiponectin and leptin. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) regulates blood pressure and insulin resistance. Recent studies suggest that the RAS plays crucial roles in cognitive functions and that adipocytokines exert neuroprotective activity in the brain.

Insulin-secretion capacity in normal glucose tolerance, impaired glucose tolerance, and diabetes in obese and non-obese Japanese patients.

Unlabelled: Aims/Introduction:  Pronounced reduction of insulin secretion in response to a rise in glucose level has been reported in Japanese patients compared with Caucasian patients, but the mean body mass index (BMI) is also lower in Japanese patients. As BMI is a determinant of insulin secretion, we examined insulin-secretion capacity in obese and non-obese Japanese patients.

Materials And Methods:   Using the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), we estimated the insulin-secreting capacity in obese (BMI ≥ 25) and non-obese (BMI < 25) Japanese patients, including 1848 patients with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), 321 patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and 69 diabetes (DM) patients.

Health education "Hokenshido" program reduced metabolic syndrome in the Amagasaki visceral fat study. Three-year follow-up study of 3,174 Japanese employees.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of health checkup and the health education "Hokenshido" program based on the concept that visceral fat accumulation causes metabolic syndrome (MetS), leading to cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods And Subjects: Based on the Japanese definition of metabolic syndrome, in the annual health checkup for general subjects, the measurement of waist circumference and use of "Where am I?" chart on the way to develop atherosclerosis were introduced. The study group comprised 3,174 Japanese employees [2,440 males (46±11 years, mean ± SD), 734 females (43±10 years)], who underwent annual health checkup in 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Predictors of deterioration of glucose tolerance and effects of lifestyle intervention aimed at reducing visceral fat in normal glucose tolerance subjects with abdominal obesity.

Unlabelled: Aims/Introduction:  The aim of the present study was to determine the predictors of deterioration of glucose tolerance in individuals with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and abdominal obesity, and whether a lifestyle intervention to reduce visceral fat is effective in these individuals.

Materials And Methods:   The study subjects were 251 individuals who had abdominal obesity with certain risk factors (hypertension, high fasting plasma glucose (FPG), elevated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), dyslipidemia and hyperuricemia) and underwent oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in 2004 and 2005.

Results:   Using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, we found that PG at 0 min, 60 min, and area under the curve (AUC) of glucose from 0 to 120 min (AUC [glucose0-120]) in OGTT were significant predictors of deterioration of glucose tolerance, with optimal cut-off values of 95 mg/dL, 158 mg/dL and 271 mg h/dL, respectively.

Absolute value of bioelectrical impedance analysis-measured visceral fat area with obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors in Japanese workers.

Aim: The accumulation of Visceral fat is known to precede metabolic disorders and atherosclerosis. This study aimed to determine the relationships between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), estimated visceral fat area (eVFA) measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods: The study population was 2,870 middle-aged Japanese employees (males/females=2,322/ 548), who had undergone a health check-up.

Visceral obesity and hypoadiponectinemia are significant determinants of hepatic dysfunction: An epidemiologic study of 3827 Japanese subjects.

Background And Aim: Adiponectin is an anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing adipocytokine, and its serum concentrations are reduced in obesity with visceral fat accumulation. Visceral fat accumulation is an independent determinant of elevated serum liver enzymes. Hypoadiponectinemia plays important roles in the clinical progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Relationship between the serum uric acid level, visceral fat accumulation and serum adiponectin concentration in Japanese men.

Objective: Visceral fat accumulation is an underlying component of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). Hypoadiponectinemia is one of the key molecules of the MetS. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between the serum uric acid level, visceral fat accumulation and serum adiponectin concentration in Japanese men.

Impaired early insulin secretion in Japanese type 2 diabetes with metabolic syndrome.

Although it is widely believed that type 2 diabetics with metabolic syndrome (MS) have insulin resistance, the beta-cell function of these patients is largely unknown. We evaluated the characteristics of insulin secretion in Japanese type 2 diabetics with MS after minimizing the influence of glucotoxity. A 75-g OGTT was performed in 192 diabetic subjects and 275 subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).

Adiponectin replenishment ameliorates obesity-related hypertension.

Patients with obesity are susceptible to hypertension. We have reported that the plasma adiponectin levels are decreased in obesity and that adiponectin has many defensive properties against obesity-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between adiponectin and hypertension in mice.

Adiponectin as a biomarker of the metabolic syndrome.

Background: The metabolic syndrome, a cluster of abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and hyperglycemia, is a common basis for atherosclerotic vascular diseases in industrial countries exposed to overnutrition. Adiponectin is an adipose-derived plasma protein with anti-atherogenic and insulin-sensitizing activities.

Methods And Results: A total of 661 Japanese adults (479 men, 53+/-10 years; 182 women 56+/-10 years) were enrolled.