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.
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.
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.
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.