IMPACT OF TOTAL BODY FAT IN SEDENTARY HISPANIC

Baylor College Of Medicine, Houston TX

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Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, NHANES II and III, report an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity as well as of obesity related diseases in children. This is a serious public health problem necessitating research to determine which factors lead to obesity and which strategies could be used to prevent and treat obesity and its consequences. Most of the research conducted to address these issues requires comparison between obese and lean subjects. In order to provide accurate conclusions, the definition of "lean"and "obese" must be absolutely clear. The most routinely used criteria to distinguish lean from obese subjects is body mass index (BMI) i.e. weight in kg/ height in m2. However, a BMI within the normal range for age might result in heterogeneous groups, including subjects with both low and high body fat percentage, low and high visceral fat and low and high hepatic fat content. All of these factors might confound results and conclusions. In this protocol we will explore whether there is a correlation between body fat percentage (measured by DXA), visceral adiposity (measured by MRI), hepatic fat content (measured by MRI) and insulin sensitivity (assessed by fasting insulin and an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) in adolescents with normal BMI (below the 85th percentile i.e. 25 kg/m2 in the planned age group) and body fat percentage equal to or above 27% in girls and 25% in boys. These results will be compared with those of our ongoing study (H-11954)including strictly lean and obese subjects Collectively the information from this proposed protocol and the ongoing study, will enable us to define the influence of BMI, body fat percentage and fat distribution on insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis in adolescents, which will in turn provide guidelines for optimizing screening methods in studies on obesity. HYPOTHESIS Overall hypothesis Using BMI as the only criteria to define lean subjects results in a mix of subjects with both normal and high body fat percentage. Subjects with high body fat percentage contain both insulin sensitive and insulin resistant subjects. Insulin sensitivity is related to their visceral fat content. Specific hypotheses In a population of adolescents with normal BMI, but high body fat percentage, some subjects will have low and some high visceral fat content, and this population will contain both insulin sensitive and insulin resistant subjects. In adolescents with normal BMI and high body fat percentage, insulin sensitivity is correlated with visceral fat content. In adolescents with normal BMI and high body fat percentage, visceral fat correlates with hepatic fat content. SPECIFIC AIMS To test the hypotheses stated above.