Wong Suzy, Janssen Ian, Ross Robert
School of Physical and Health Education, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Sports Med. 2003;33(10):709-26. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200333100-00001.
It is now established that waist circumference remains a significant predictor of disease and metabolic risk independent of obesity measured by body mass index. These observations are reinforced by a large body of evidence implicating abdominal obesity measured by imaging modalities in the pathogenesis of numerous metabolic risk factors. However, the extent to which abdominal subcutaneous or visceral adipose tissue (AT) independently contribute to the established association between abdominal obesity and metabolic risk remains a subject of considerable research. Discrepancies in the literature may be partially explained by methodological issues, as currently there is no accepted definition for either visceral or abdominal subcutaneous AT. Accordingly, there is confusion concerning how best to measure these depots in metabolic and descriptive studies. Further, despite numerous studies linking abdominal AT depots with metabolic risk factors, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The primary purpose of this review is to examine the independent contribution of visceral and abdominal subcutaneous AT to the aetiology of obesity-related health risk. We begin by considering specific methodological issues with respect to the current classification of abdominal AT as measured by imaging methods. When necessary, we present original data to reinforce important concepts not suitably addressed in the literature. We conclude with a consideration of proposed mechanisms that may link abdominal adiposity and metabolic risk.
现在已经确定，腰围仍然是疾病和代谢风险的重要预测指标，独立于通过体重指数衡量的肥胖情况。大量证据表明，通过成像方式测量的腹部肥胖与众多代谢风险因素的发病机制有关，这进一步证实了这些观察结果。然而，腹部皮下或内脏脂肪组织（AT）在多大程度上独立导致腹部肥胖与代谢风险之间已确定的关联，仍然是大量研究的主题。文献中的差异可能部分归因于方法学问题，因为目前对于内脏或腹部皮下AT尚无公认的定义。因此，在代谢和描述性研究中，对于如何最佳测量这些脂肪库存在困惑。此外，尽管有大量研究将腹部AT库与代谢风险因素联系起来，但其潜在机制仍不清楚。本综述的主要目的是研究内脏和腹部皮下AT对肥胖相关健康风险病因的独立贡献。我们首先考虑通过成像方法测量腹部AT的当前分类方面的具体方法学问题。必要时，我们会展示原始数据，以强化文献中未充分探讨的重要概念。最后，我们会思考可能将腹部肥胖与代谢风险联系起来的潜在机制。
