Fat Distribution,Aerobic Fitness,Blood Lipids,and Insulin Sensitivity in African‐American and European‐American Women

The purpose of this study was to determine independent relationships of intra‐abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT), leg fat, and aerobic fitness with blood lipids and insulin sensitivity (S_i) in European‐American (EA) and African‐American (AA) premenopausal women. Ninety‐three EA and ninety‐four AA with BMI between 27 and 30 kg/m² had IAAT by computed tomography, total fat and leg fat by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry, aerobic fitness by a graded exercise test, African admixture (AFADM) by ancestry informative markers, blood lipids by the Ektachem DT system, and S_i by glucose tolerance test. Independent of age, aerobic fitness, AFADM, and leg fat, IAAT was positively related to low‐density lipoprotein–cholesterol (LDL‐C), cholesterol‐high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio, triglycerides (TGs), and fasting insulin (standardized β varying 0.16–0.34) and negatively related to HDL‐cholesterol (HDL‐C) and S_i (standardized β ?0.15 and ?0.25, respectively). In contrast, independent of age, aerobic fitness, AFADM, and IAAT, leg fat was negatively related to total cholesterol, LDL‐C, cholesterol‐HDL ratio, TGs, and fasting insulin (standardized β varying ?0.15 to ?0.21) and positively related to HDL‐C and S_i (standardized β 0.16 and 0.23). Age was not independently related to worsening of any blood lipid but was related to increased S_i (standardized β for S_i 0.25, insulin ?0.31). With the exception of total cholesterol and LDL‐C, aerobic fitness was independently related to worsened blood lipid profile and increased S_i (standardized β varying 0.17 to ?0.21). Maintenance of favorable fat distribution and aerobic fitness may be important strategies for healthy aging, at least in premenopausal EA and AA women.