Skewness in Body fat Distribution Pattern Links to Specific Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Profiles

Objective: Fat distribution pattern could help determine cardiometabolic risk profile. This study aimed to evaluate the association of balance/imbalance between visceral adipose tissue (VAT), abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (aSAT), and liver fat (LF) with incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the UK Biobank prospective cohort study.Methods: Magnetic resonance images of 40 174 participants were analyzed for VAT, aSAT, and LF using AMRA (R) Researcher. To assess fat distribution patterns independent of body mass index (BMI), fat z-scores (z-VAT, z-aSAT, z-LF) were calculated. Participants without prevalent T2D/CVD (N = 35 138) were partitioned based on balance between (1) z-VAT and z-LF (z-scores = 0 as cut-points for high/low), (2) z-VAT and z-aSAT, and (3) z-LF and z-aSAT. Associations with T2D/CVD were investigated using Cox regression (crude and adjusted for sex, age, BMI, lifestyle, arterial hypertension, statin treatment).Results: T2D was significantly associated with z-LF (hazard ratio, [95% CI] 1.74 [1.52-1.98], P < .001) and z-VAT (1.70 [1.49-1.95], P < .001). Both remained significant after full adjustment. For z-scores balance, strongest associations with T2D were z-VAT > 0 and z-LF > 0 (4.61 [2.98-7.12]), z-VAT > 0 and z-aSAT < 0 (4.48 [2.85-7.06]), and z-LF > 0 and z-aSAT < 0 (2.69 [1.76-4.12]), all P < .001. CVD was most strongly associated with z-VAT (1.22 [1.16-1.28], P < .001) which remained significant after adjustment for sex, age, BMI, and lifestyle. For z-scores balance, strongest associations with CVD were z-VAT > 0 and z-LF < 0 (1.53 [1.34-1.76], P < .001) and z-VAT > 0 and z-aSAT < 0 (1.54 [1.34-1.76], P < .001). When adjusted for sex, age, and BMI, only z-VAT > 0 and z-LF < 0 remained significant.Conclusion: High VAT in relation to BMI (z-VAT > 0) was consistently linked to both T2D and CVD; z-LF > 0 was linked to T2D only. Skewed fat distribution patterns showed elevated risk for CVD (z-VAT > 0 and z-LF < 0 and z-VAT > 0 and z-aSAT < 0) and T2D (z-VAT > 0 and z-aSAT < 0).