Study on Visceral Adipose Tissue and Weight Loss
Background
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a harmful type of body fat that can negatively affect health, while superficial subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) has little to no negative impact. This study looks at how VAT area and its proportion of total abdominal fat during weight loss can predict health outcomes.
Methods
We used MRI scans to measure VAT and different types of SAT from two 18-month weight loss trials, CENTRAL and DIRECT PLUS, involving 572 participants.
Results
At the start, participants had an average VAT area of 144.8 cm² and a VAT proportion of 28.2%. After 18 months, they lost an average of 28 cm² of VAT (22.5% decrease) and 1.3 units of VAT%. Both VAT area and proportion were linked to conditions like metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and diabetes. However, VAT% was particularly effective in identifying high triglyceride levels.
A larger VAT area was related to higher levels of inflammatory markers, while the VAT% was not. After the 18-month intervention, losing both VAT area and proportion led to significant improvements in triglycerides, blood sugar (HbA1c), liver enzymes, and increased good cholesterol (HDL). Specifically, loss in VAT area was linked to reduced insulin resistance and inflammatory markers.
Conclusions
This study suggests that while both VAT area and proportion can indicate health issues, VAT% is better for assessing fat and cholesterol levels, while VAT area is more reliable for understanding inflammation and blood sugar levels.
Practical Solutions and Value
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