This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by You, T. Articles by Nicklas, B. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by You, T. Articles by Nicklas, B. J.

The Metabolic Syndrome in Obese Postmenopausal Women: Relationship to Body Composition, Visceral Fat, and Inflammation

Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine (T.Y., B.J.N.), Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157; and Division of Gerontology, University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center of the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center (A.S.R.), Baltimore, Maryland 21201

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Tongjian You, Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157. E-mail: tyou{at}wfubmc.edu.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether aerobic fitness, body composition, body fat distribution, and inflammation are different in obese postmenopausal women with and without the metabolic syndrome (MS), and whether the severity of MS is associated with these characteristics. Fifty-eight women (age, 59 ± 1 yr; body mass index, 33.0 ± 0.6 kg/m²) completed testing of maximal aerobic capacity, body composition (fat mass, lean mass, and percent body fat), body fat distribution (sc and visceral fat areas, and regional adipocyte sizes), and inflammation (C-reactive protein, IL-6, and TNF-, and their soluble receptors). Lean mass (44.4 ± 0.9 vs. 41.2 ± 0.9 kg; P < 0.05), visceral fat area (180 ± 10 vs. 135 ± 7 cm²; P < 0.001), and plasma soluble TNF receptor 1 (sTNFR1; 860 ± 25 vs. 765 ± 42 pg/ml; P < 0.05) were higher in women with the MS (n = 27) than in those without the MS (n = 31). The number of MS components was directly related to weight, body mass index, fat mass, lean mass, visceral fat area, and plasma sTNFR1. We conclude that obese older women with the MS are characterized by high lean mass, high visceral fat, and elevated sTNFR1, and the severity of the MS is associated with body composition, visceral adiposity, and inflammation.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. Antuna-Puente, E. Disse, M. Faraj, M.-E. Lavoie, M. Laville, R. Rabasa-Lhoret, and J.-P. Bastard Evaluation of insulin sensitivity with a new lipid-based index in non-diabetic postmenopausal overweight and obese women before and after a weight loss intervention Eur. J. Endocrinol., July 1, 2009; 161(1): 51 - 56. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. A. Everson-Rose, T. T. Lewis, K. Karavolos, S. A. Dugan, D. Wesley, and L. H. Powell Depressive Symptoms and Increased Visceral Fat in Middle-Aged Women Psychosom Med, May 1, 2009; 71(4): 410 - 416. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. You, B. J. Nicklas, J. Ding, B. W. J. H. Penninx, B. H. Goodpaster, D. C. Bauer, F. A. Tylavsky, T. B. Harris, S. B. Kritchevsky, and for the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study The Metabolic Syndrome Is Associated With Circulating Adipokines in Older Adults Across a Wide Range of Adiposity J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., April 1, 2008; 63(4): 414 - 419. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Liu, L. Tinker, Y. Song, N. Rifai, D. E. Bonds, N. R. Cook, G. Heiss, B. V. Howard, G. S. Hotamisligil, F. B. Hu, et al. A Prospective Study of Inflammatory Cytokines and Diabetes Mellitus in a Multiethnic Cohort of Postmenopausal Women Arch Intern Med, August 13, 2007; 167(15): 1676 - 1685. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R Speakman, K. Djafarian, J. Stewart, and D. M Jackson Assortative mating for obesity Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, August 1, 2007; 86(2): 316 - 323. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Hill, A. M. Coates, J. D. Buckley, R. Ross, F. Thielecke, and P. R.C. Howe Can EGCG Reduce Abdominal Fat in Obese Subjects? J. Am. Coll. Nutr., August 1, 2007; 26(4): 396S - 402S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Good, F. M Newell, L. M Haupt, J. P Whitehead, L. J Hutley, and J. B Prins TNF and TNF receptor expression and insulin sensitivity in human omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue -- influence of BMI and adipose distribution Diabetes and Vascular Disease Research, May 1, 2006; 3(1): 26 - 33. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Lee, F. Bacha, N. Gungor, and S. A. Arslanian Racial Differences in Adiponectin in Youth: Relationship to visceral fat and insulin sensitivityv Diabetes Care, January 1, 2006; 29(1): 51 - 56. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. D. Karelis, M. Faraj, J.-P. Bastard, D. H. St-Pierre, M. Brochu, D. Prud'homme, and R. Rabasa-Lhoret The Metabolically Healthy but Obese Individual Presents a Favorable Inflammation Profile J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., July 1, 2005; 90(7): 4145 - 4150. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Esposito Intra-abdominal Fat Depth Makes a Difference in Cardiovascular Risk DOC News, January 1, 2005; 2(1): 17 - 18. [Full Text]