The associations between the amount of abdominal adipose tissue (AT) measured by computed tomography (CT) or estimated with predictive equations and the amount of total body fat were compared in samples of 89 men and 75 women. After correction for total body fat mass, men had significantly higher values of visceral AT volume (P < 0.0001) and also higher abdominal visceral AT areas, measured by CT or estimated by predictive equations than women (P < 0.0001). In addition, an increase in total fat mass was associated with a significantly greater increase in visceral AT volume in men than in women (P < 0.0001). In conclusion, these results suggest that the greater health hazards associated with excess fatness in men than in women may be explained by the fact that premenopausal women can accumulate more body fat than men of the same age before reaching the amounts of visceral AT found in men.

Our objective was to determine threshold values of waist girth, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and sagittal diameter corresponding to an accumulation of visceral adipose tissue of 130 cm2 and to verify whether these threshold values could be influenced by sex, age, menopausal status, and the degree of obesity. From the regression equations computed in the total sample of 213 men [aged (mean+/- SD) 37.8 +/- 12.2 y] and 190 women (aged 37.3 +/- 12.1 y), a waist girth of approximately 95 cm in both sexes, WHR values of 0.94 in men and of 0.88 in women, and sagittal diameters of 22.8 cm in men and 25.2 cm in women corresponded to a visceral adipose tissue area of 130 cm2. In both sexes, threshold values of waist girth corresponding to critical amounts of visceral adipose tissue were generally lower in subjects who were > or = 40 y old (approximately 90 cm) than in younger individuals (approximately 100 cm). Similar differences were found for WHR and sagittal diameter threshold values. Finally, threshold values of waist girth corresponding to critical amounts of visceral adipose tissue were essentially similar in normal-weight and overweight men and women, whereas threshold values of WHR were in general higher in normal-weight than in overweight subjects. In conclusion, our results suggest that the relations of anthropometric variables to visceral adipose tissue accumulation are age-specific. However, waist girth is likely to be a more convenient anthropometric correlate of visceral adipose tissue than the WHR because threshold values of waist girth corresponding to critical amounts of visceral adipose tissue do not appear to be influenced by sex or by the degree of obesity.

Objective: To put into relationship the dietary and anthropometric profile of men and women with their eating behaviors (cognitive dietary restraint, disinhibition, and susceptibility to hunger) and to assess whether gender and obesity status influence these associations.Research Methods and Procedures: Anthropometric measurements (including visceral adipose tissue accumulation), dietary profile (3‐day food record), and eating behaviors (Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire) were determined in a sample of 244 men and 352 women.Results: Women had significantly higher cognitive dietary restraint and disinhibition scores than men (p < 0.0001). In both genders, scores for disinhibition and susceptibility to hunger, but not for cognitive dietary restraint, were higher in obese subjects than in overweight and nonobese subjects (p < 0.05). Positive correlations were observed between rigid restraint and most of the anthropometric variables studied (0.12 ≤ r ≤ 0.16). Moreover, in women, flexible restraint was negatively associated with body fat and waist circumference (r = −0.11). Cognitive dietary restraint and rigid restraint were positively related to BMI among nonobese women (0.19 ≤ r ≤ 0.20), whereas in obese men, cognitive dietary restraint and flexible restraint tended to be negatively correlated with BMI (−0.20 ≤ r ≤ −0.22; p = 0.10).Discussion: Gender could mediate associations observed between eating behaviors and anthropometric profile. It was also found that disinhibition and susceptibility to hunger are positively associated with the level of obesity. On the other hand, cognitive dietary restraint is not consistently related to body weight and adiposity, whereas rigid and flexible restraint are oppositely associated to obesity status, which suggests that it is important to differentiate the subscales of cognitive dietary restraint. Finally, counseling aimed at coping with disinhibition and susceptibility to hunger could be of benefit for the long‐term treatment of obesity.

Background: Inuit traditionally consume large amounts of marine foods rich in n−3 fatty acids. Evidence exists that n−3 fatty acids have beneficial effects on key risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Objective: Our goal was to verify the relation between plasma phospholipid concentrations of the n−3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and various cardiovascular disease risk factors among the Inuit of Nunavik, Canada. Design: The study population consisted of 426 Inuit aged 18–74 y who participated in a 1992 health survey. Data were obtained through home interviews and clinical visits. Plasma samples were analyzed for phospholipid fatty acid composition. Results: Expressed as the percentage of total fatty acids, geometric mean concentrations of EPA, DHA, and their combination in plasma phospholipids were 1.99%, 4.52%, and 6.83%, respectively. n−3 Fatty acids were positively associated with HDL-cholesterol concentrations and inversely associated with triacylglycerol concentrations and the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol. In contrast, concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and plasma glucose increased as n−3 fatty acid concentrations increased. There were no significant associations between n−3 fatty acids and diastolic and systolic blood pressure and plasma insulin. Conclusions: Consumption of marine products, the main source of EPA and DHA, appears to beneficially affect some cardiovascular disease risk factors. The traditional Inuit diet, which is rich in n−3 fatty acids, is probably responsible for the low mortality rate from ischemic heart disease in this population.

Background: The intake of trans fatty acids (TFA) from industrially hydrogenated vegetable oils (iTFA) is known to have a deleterious effect on cardiovascular health, the effects of TFA from ruminants (rTFA) are virtually unknown. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of rTFA and iTFA on plasma LDL concentrations and other cardiovascular disease risk factors in healthy subjects. Design: In a double-blind, randomized crossover controlled study, 38 healthy men were fed each of 4 experimental isoenergetic diets lasting 4 wk each. The 4 diets were high in rTFA (10.2 g/2500 kcal), moderate in rTFA (4.2 g/2500 kcal), high in iTFA (10.2 g/2500 kcal), and low in TFA from any source (2.2 g/2500 kcal) (control diet). Results: Plasma LDL-cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher after the high- rTFA diet than after the control (P = 0.03) or the moderate- rTFA (P = 0.002) diet. Plasma LDL-cholesterol concentrations also were significantly (P = 0.02) higher after the iTFA diet than after the moderate-rTFA diet. Plasma HDL-cholesterol concentrations were significantly (P = 0.02) lower after the high-rTFA diet than after the moderate-rTFA diet. Finally, all risk factors were comparable between the control and the moderate-rTFA diets. Conclusions: These results suggest that, whereas a high dietary intake of TFA from ruminants may adversely affect cholesterol homeostasis, moderate intakes of rTFA that are well above the upper limit of current human consumption have neutral effects on plasma lipids and other cardiovascular disease risk factors.