Apolipoprotein B/A-I ratio related to visceral but not to subcutaneous adipose tissue in elderly Swedes.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the amount of visceral (VAT) or subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) independently of the other can determine the apolipoprotein (apo)B/A-I ratio. METHODS VAT and SAT areas were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging in 247 randomly selected 70-year-old men and women who did not use lipid-lowering drugs. Their adipose tissue areas were compared to their apoB and apo A-I levels and to their apoB/A-I ratios. RESULTS The VAT area and the gender were significantly related to the apoB/A-I ratio whereas the SAT area was not. There was a positive relationship between the VAT area and the apoB/A-I ratio. CONCLUSION A positive relationship was established between the amount of VAT and the apoB/A-I ratio, whereas there was no relationship between the amount of SAT and the apoB/A-I ratio. This observation supports the notion that VAT is metabolically active.