Association Between Abdominal Body Composition, Inflammation, and Risk for Cardiovascular Disease (The MESA ABD Study)

Abdominal obesity is a serious condition and increases the risk for potentially
life-threatening cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Abdominal fat is made up of structurally
and functionally different tissues, which include visceral fat, subcutaneous fat, and
intramuscular fat. The distribution and levels of these fat tissues are highly variable
among obese people, and the effects of ABC differences on cardiovascular health are not well
known. Notably, the standard measure of body mass index cannot distinguish between different
kinds or ratios of tissue types that make up body weight and, therefore, may not be the best
measurement tool. Determining the specific measures of these tissue types by computed
tomography (CT) may provide better insight into the varied CVD risk seen among different
ethnicities, sexes, and ages. This study will evaluate the association between volumetric
measures of ABC, CVD risk, and inflammation in terms of ethnicity-, sex-, and age-specific
variables.

This substudy will use data and specimens, including blood samples and CT scans, from
participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) for abdominal aortic
calcium (AAC). Stored blood samples will be used to perform assays for several measures of
inflammation and to generate new data on biomarkers and subclinical CVD measures. The
existing CT scans will be used to calculate five discrete volumetric measures of ABC, which
will include subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, intramuscular fat, the visceral fat to visceral
cavity ratio, and the lean muscle to visceral fat ratio. There will be no study visits for
this study.

The study completion date listed in this record was obtained from the "Completed Date"
entered in the Query View Report System (QVR).

Inclusion Criteria:

- Participant in the MESA study

Exclusion Criteria:

- History of cardiovascualar disease