The aim of this proposal is to relate distribution of adipose tissue measured by a new imaging technique (Magnetic Resonance Imaging--MRI) to extracranial carotid atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and to more conventional measures of fat distribution such as body mass index (BMI) and waist/hip ratio. The primary hypothesis is that patients with extracranial carotid atherosclerosis (cases) will have more intra-abdominal fat and a higher ratio of intra-abdominal fat to total or subcutaneous fat than age-sex-race matched controls. In addition the investigators believe they will be able to demonstrate strong relationships between intra-abdominal fat and a number of cardiovascular disease risk factors, including history of hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, family history of cardiovascular disease, plasma concentrations of triglyceride, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, HDL2 cholesterol, apo A1, Apo B, postprandial lipid response to a fat rich meal, glucose, insulin, sex hormone binding globulin, and total and free testosterone. Certain other risk factors are less certain to show a relation to intra-abdominal fat as measured my MRI, including various hemostatic factors, as well as certain dietary factors such as consumption of alcohol, dietary fat, and cholesterol, but this research would afford an opportunity to explore these relationships. Finally, the investigators propose to relate intra-abdominal fat to more conventional measures of fat distribution (waist/hip ratio, subscapular skinfold thickness, etc.) in an attempt to identify strong correlates of intra-abdominal fat that can be more easily measured. This study is designed to augment an NIH funded population-based project that is ongoing in Forsyth County, N.C., where the principal investigator is located (Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities study--ARIC). As such, all the investigations mentioned above with the exception of the MRI study and the analyses of sex hormones will be available to the project at no charge. In particular, the expensive and time consuming effort to establish case or control status as well as a multitude of historical and clinical chemistry variables will be provided. The investigators state that this study should be the first to establish a connection between intra-abdominal fat and atherosclerosis and to provide estimates of relationships of intra-abdominal fat to risk factors in a carefully characterized population based sample. They further state that establishment of these relationships will provide a rationale for future longitudinal studies.
| Golden, Sherita Hill; Maguire, Ann; Ding, Jingzhong et al. (2002) Endogenous postmenopausal hormones and carotid atherosclerosis: a case-control study of the atherosclerosis risk in communities cohort. Am J Epidemiol 155:437-45 |
| Din-Dzietham, R; Liao, D; Diez-Roux, A et al. (2000) Association of educational achievement with pulsatile arterial diameter change of the common carotid artery: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, 1987-1992. Am J Epidemiol 152:617-27 |
| Terry, J G; Hinson, W H; Evans, G W et al. (1995) Evaluation of magnetic resonance imaging for quantification of intraabdominal fat in human beings by spin-echo and inversion-recovery protocols. Am J Clin Nutr 62:297-301 |
