Although estrogen is known to play a role in fatty acid metabolism, it remains unclear whether fatty acid oxidation in mature female rats differs from fatty acid oxidation in peri-pubertal young rats. In this study, we measured fatty acid metabolism in the skeletal muscles and livers of 5 and 50 weeks old male and female rats. The rate of palmitate oxidation in the liver and gastrocnemius red in the 50-week-old female rats were elevated as compared to the 5-week-old females, whereas there were no differences in the male rats. The rate of palmitate oxidation in the gastrocnemius red was correlated inversely with intra-abdominal fat mass in the 5-week-old male and female rats, whereas the palmitate oxidation rate was positively correlated with fat mass in the liver and gastrocnemius red in the 50-week-old rats. HOMA-IR and plasma insulin levels were positively correlated with intra-abdominal fat mass in the pooled 50-week-old male and female rats, but this correlation was not apparent in 5-week-old rats. In summary, the rate of fatty acid oxidation measured in the middle-aged adult female rats was significantly higher than those measured in the peri-pubertal young female rats. This difference may be attributed to the influence of ovarian hormones.
Adult* ; Animals ; Estrogens ; Female* ; Humans ; Insulin ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Liver ; Male ; Metabolism ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Plasma ; Rats*

BACKGROUND: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition in males over 40 years old, and the incidence of BPH has a tendency to increase with age. Obesity is state of excessive accumulation of fat in the body that leads to changes in the body's metabolism and endocrine function. Therefore, progression of BPH occurs in the obese state according to many articles. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of obesity indices which correlate with prostate volume. METHODS: The study was carried out in 285 males, who visited a health promotion center and underwent transrectal ultrasonography and abdominal fat computed tomography from April, 2010 to June, 2013. Anthropometric parameters were measured directly and blood samples were obtained in the morning after over eight hours of fasting. The correlation between obesity indices and prostate volume was analyzed. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, prostate volume was positively correlated with BMI (r=0.227, P<0.001), waist circumference (WC) (r=0.151, P=0.011), waist to height ratio (WHtR) (r=0.149, P=0.012), and visceral fat area (VFA) (r=0.157, P=0.008). However prostate volume showed no correlation with subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and visceral to subcutaneous ratio (VSR). WHtR had the largest area under the curve (AUC) for the identification of prostate volume more than 30 mL (AUC=0.595, P=0.017) followed by VFA and BMI in order. CONCLUSION: Prostate volume was positively correlated with BMI, WC, WHtR, and VFA among the obesity indices and WHtR had the largest AUC followed by VFA and BMI in order.
Abdominal Fat ; Area Under Curve ; Fasting ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Male ; Metabolism ; Obesity ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Ultrasonography ; Waist Circumference

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between visceral fat depot and adiponectin level in OLETF rats.

METHODSTwenty male OLETF rats and 10 male Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats were subjected to regular oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The rats were sacrificed at the ages of 8, 32 and 40 weeks for measurements of the body weight, blood glucose, blood lipid level, blood insulin, and weight of the visceral fat.

RESULTSCompared with LETO rats, OLETF rats had significantly higher body weight and visceral fat with impaired glucose tolerance (P<0.05). OLETF rats also had higher blood insulin, TG, FFA and CHOL levels (P<0.05). The plasma adiponectin level was significantly lower in OLETF rats than in LETO rats at different ages (P<0.05). The adiponectin mRNA level in the adipose tissue of OLETF rats was comparable with that in LETO rats, but significantly decreased at 32 and 40 weeks of age (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONPlasma adiponectin level is significantly correlated to insulin sensitivity and visceral fat depots in OLETF rats, but a lowered APN mRNA expression level is not the main reason for a decreased plasma adiponectin level in the early stage.

Adiponectin ; blood ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Insulin Resistance ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; metabolism ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred OLETF

BACKGROUND: The age-associated loss of subcutaneous fat with the accumulation of visceral fat consequently leads to several deleterious health outcomes such as dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. A recent research has shown that acute ultraviolet (UV) irradiation can reduce subcutaneous fat. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study is to investigate whether chronic UV radiation can reduce subcutaneous fat, increase visceral fat, and lead to additional metabolic changes. METHODS: We analyzed the abdominal computed tomography images of the 98 subjects attending our health examination center to calculate the amount of subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Questionnaire surveys were conducted to analyze the degree of daily UV exposure, sunscreen use, and physical activity. Weight, height, blood pressure (BP), liver function test, lipid profiles, and glucose metabolism were also assessed. RESULTS: In the analysis of covariance adjusted for age, sex, and physical activity, the visceral fat amount in the high UV exposure group was significantly higher than that in the low UV exposure group (p=0.043), and the subcutaneous/total fat ratio in the high UV group was significantly lower than that in the low UV group (p=0.048). The high UV group had higher levels of fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, systolic BP, and diastolic BP than the low UV exposure group (p=0.039, 0.012, 0.004, and 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that chronic UV radiation could change body fat distribution and lead to additional changes, including changes in glucose metabolism and BP.
Blood Pressure ; Body Fat Distribution* ; Cross-Sectional Studies* ; Dyslipidemias ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Homeostasis ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Liver Function Tests ; Metabolism* ; Motor Activity ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Association of low intake of calcium (Ca) and inadequate vitamin D (VD) status with higher prevalence rates of obesity has been reported. This study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of different levels of whey Ca and VD intake on lipid metabolism in growing rats. METHODS: A total of 56 five-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into seven groups and fed for five weeks. Ca groups were divided into three levels, low, normal, and high (0.25%, 0.5%, 1%). VD subgroups in the low and high Ca groups were divided into three levels, low, normal, and high (10 IU, 1,000 IU, and 5,000 IU). The effects of Ca and VD on each group were evaluated by two way ANOVA. RESULTS: Significantly higher amounts of abdominal fat, visceral fat, and epididymal fat were observed in the Low-Ca groups than in the Normal-Ca and High-Ca groups. Serum leptin levels of Low-Ca groups were higher than those of Normal-Ca and High-Ca groups. The highest serum parathyroid hormone concentration was observed in the low Ca.low VD group. The levels of serum 25(OH)D were significantly increased with increasing dietary VD levels. Significantly higher serum levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol were observed in the low Ca groups than in the normal Ca and high Ca groups. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that low calcium intake increased serum lipid level and body fat amount.
Abdominal Fat ; Adipose Tissue ; Animals ; Calcium* ; Cholesterol ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Leptin ; Lipid Metabolism* ; Male ; Obesity ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Prevalence ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Triglycerides ; Vitamin D*

Obesity is characterized by abnormal and excessive adipose tissue accumulated in the body. Compared with peripheral obesity (the accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue), abdominal obesity (the accumulation of visceral adipose tissue) is associated with increased risk of the metabolic syndrome, such as diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and dyslipidemia. Adipose tissue is a highly heterogeneous endocrine organ. Adipose tissue depots differ significantly in anatomy, cell biology, glucose and lipid metabolism as well as in endocrine regulation. Visceral adipose tissue has a stronger metabolic activity and secrets a larger amount of free fat acids, adipocytokines, hormones and inflammatory factors, which flux into the liver directly via the hepatic portal vein. These characteristics indicate that visceral adiposity may lead to the metabolic syndrome and thus visceral adipose tissue might be the clinical target for the prevention and treatment of obesity.
Adipose Tissue ; pathology ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; pathology ; Lipid Metabolism ; Metabolic Syndrome ; physiopathology ; Obesity ; physiopathology ; Obesity, Abdominal ; physiopathology ; Subcutaneous Fat ; pathology

PURPOSE: Growth hormone(GH) has not only growth promoting effect but also various metabolic effects. We evaluated GH effects by anthrometric data, biochmical data, electrolytes and simple CT in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome. METHODS: Nine children with Prader-Willi syndrome(PWS) were studied. The children were treated with GH(0.6U/kg/week) for 6 months. Before and after therapy we measured height, weight, waist, hip, and thigh. Blood sampling for eletrolytes, HgA1C, lipid profiles and other biochemistry were done in all patients before and after therapy. We also compared fat distribution with scan. RESULTS: Height standard deviation (SD) score increased from -0.7 to -0.5 and weight SD score decreased from 5.3 to 4.9. Body mass index(BMI) decreased from 28.2kg/m2 to 27.2kg/m2. But the changes in height, weight and BMI were not significant statistically. The waist/hip ratio decreased from 1.04 to 0.97(P<0.05), Thigh circumference had been decreased from 58.2+/-21.7cm to 49.9+/-6.9cm insignificantly. The visceral fat were decreased from 7,613+/-1,760 to 5,022+/-1,533 after GH therapy, and thigh muscle mass was increased from 6,358+/-1,616 to 7,175+/-2,155 (P<0.05). Total cholesterol and triglyceride decreased and HDL cholesterol increased after therapy although they were insignificant statistically. There were no differences in electrolytes, HgA1C, other biochemistry(Ca, P, protein, albumin, BUN, Cr) before and after therapy. CONCLUSION: In children with PWS, waist/hip ratio and fat mass were reduced and muscle mass was increased after GH therapy. There was tendency that total cholesterol and triglyceride decreased and HDL cholesterol increased after therapy. We confirmed that GH therapy had not only growth promoting effect but also metabolic effect on lipid and protein metabolism in children with PWS.
Biochemistry ; Child ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Electrolytes ; Growth Hormone* ; Hip ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Metabolism ; Prader-Willi Syndrome* ; Thigh ; Triglycerides

This study was aimed to examine the effect of ovariectomy on visceral fat, serum adiponectin levels and lipid profile. Forty-five female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups (n=15 each): ovariectomized group (OVX), ovariectomized plus estrogen-treated group (OVX+E2), and sham-operated group (SHAM). Body weight, abdominal adipose tissues, serum adiponectin and lipid profile were measured and compared among the groups after three-month feeding post-surgery. Significant increases in body weight and visceral fat were found in ovariectomized rats when compared with sham-operated ones and significant increases were also observed in serum adiponectin, triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in ovariectomized rats. Body weight, visceral fat and serum adiponectin levels were profoundly reduced in OVX+E2 group as compared with OVX group. It was concluded that ovarian hormone deficiency induced by ovariectomy leads to significant increases in body weight and visceral fat, along with increased serum adiponectin, triglyceride and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in rats. Attenuation in these changes can be achieved by estrogen supplementation.
Adiponectin ; blood ; Animals ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Female ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; metabolism ; Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Triglycerides ; blood

Chronic energy surplus increases body fat, leading to obesity. Since obesity is closely associated with most metabolic complications, pathophysiological roles of adipose tissue in obesity have been intensively studied. White adipose tissue is largely divided into subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). These two white adipose tissues are similar in their appearance and lipid storage functions. Nonetheless, emerging evidence has suggested that SAT and VAT have different characteristics and functional roles in metabolic regulation. It is likely that there are intrinsic differences between VAT and SAT. In diet-induced obese animal models, it has been reported that adipogenic progenitors in VAT rapidly proliferate and differentiate into adipocytes. In obesity, VAT exhibits elevated inflammatory responses, which are less prevalent in SAT. On the other hand, SAT has metabolically beneficial effects. In this review, we introduce recent studies that focus on cellular and molecular components modulating adipogenesis and immune responses in SAT and VAT. Given that these two fat depots show different functions and characteristics depending on the nutritional status, it is feasible to postulate that SAT and VAT have different developmental origins with distinct adipogenic progenitors, which would be a key determining factor for the response and accommodation to metabolic input for energy homeostasis.
Adipocytes ; Adipogenesis ; Adipose Tissue ; Adipose Tissue, White ; Energy Metabolism ; Hand ; Homeostasis ; Inflammation ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Models, Animal ; Nutritional Status ; Obesity ; Stem Cells ; Subcutaneous Fat

BACKGROUND: Arterial stiffness is an important factor in atherosclerosis. Thus we examined whether aerobic exercise could reduce arterial stiffness in obese women with type 2 diabetes without diabetic complication. METHODS: A total of 35 women with type 2 diabetes (body mass index, 26.6+/-2.8 kg/m2; age, 56.4+/-1.9 years; duration of diabetes, 4.7+/-4.8 years) were assigned to aerobic exercise group (AEG) or control group (CG). AEG completed a 12-week exercise program (3.6 to 5.2 metabolic equivalents, 3 day/week, 60 min/day), with their exercise activities monitored by accelerometers. We measured abdominal total fat area (TFA), visceral fat area (VFA), and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) by computed tomography, insulin sensitivity by insulin tolerance test (K(ITT)), and augmentation index (AIx) by SphygmoCor at baseline and at the end of the 12-week program. RESULTS: The AIx was improved in the AEG compared with the CG (P<0.001). The percent change of AIx had significant correlation with the improvement of physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE), aerobic capacity, TFA, and SFA (r=-0.416, P=0.013; r=0.560, P<0.001; r=0.489, P=0.003; r=0.531, P=0.001, respectively), but not with insulin sensitivity, energy intake, or VFA. CONCLUSION: Improvement in aortic stiffness by aerobic exercise is related with the improvement of aerobic capacity, PAEE, and total fat but not with insulin sensitivity or energy intake in obese women with type 2 diabetes.
Abdominal Fat ; Atherosclerosis ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Energy Intake ; Energy Metabolism* ; Exercise* ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance* ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Metabolic Equivalent ; Motor Activity* ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Vascular Stiffness*