Graduate Category: Interdisciplinary Topics, Centers, and Institutes ...
Graduate Category: Interdisciplinary Topics, Centers, and Institutes Degree Seeking: PhD Abstract ID# 1669
Visceral Adipose Tissue is Negatively and Selectively Associated with Cognition Among Obese Children 1Tatsuya
Shigeta, 1Lauren Raine, 2Eric Drollette, 2Shin-Chun Kao, 1Daniel Westfall, 3Mark Scudder, 1Arthur Kramer, 2Naiman Khan, 1Charles Hillman 1Northeastern University, 2University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3University of Pittsburgh
Opportunity
Approach
Childhood Obesity Implications
Method
• Although obesity later in life is a recognized risk factor for cognitive dysfunction, the relation of excess adiposity on childhood cognition remains controversial • Distinguishing between different types of adipose tissue is important. Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAAT) is primarily stored under the skin, whereas visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is stored in the abdominal cavity around vital organs. VAT is metabolically active pathogenic tissue that is mechanistically implicated in inflammation, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia • However, the influence of VAT on children’s cognition remains understudied • VAT may selectively relate to cognitive functioning, as opposed to subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAAT; a functionally different type of fat)
Aim • Extend research on childhood obesity beyond BMI, which is only an indicator overall body mass, and not specific to adiposity • Evaluate the differential impact of adiposity, particularly VAT, on cognitive function among obese and healthy weight children
Results
Participant Demographics Condition
Obese children: • %Fat and SAAT were not related to cognitive function • However, VAT was a significant negative predictor of cognitive function • Increased VAT was associated with poorer intellectual abilities
N
Obese
• Adiposity (i.e., whole body percent fat (%Fat), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAAT), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was assessed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) • VAT and SAAT are functionally different abdominal fat
60 (n = 36 females) 60 (n = 36 females) 8.69 ± 0.51
8.64 ± 0.56
SES
1.68 ± 0.75
1.90 ± 0.82
BIA (IQ)
103.36 ± 12.66
107.00 ± 13.70
FF VO2max
57.59 ± 6.65
56.06 ± 4.36
%Fat
39.96 ± 4.46*
28.19 ± 4.36*
Healthy children:
VAT
342.26 ± 122.31*
129.17 ± 58.74*
•
SAAT
1549.15 ± 528.07* 571.56 ± 289.16*
Adiposity measures were not associated with intellectual abilities or any of the cognitive performance clusters
• Extracted measures: • Intellectual ability (general and brief) • Cognitive performance model clusters • Verbal ability, Thinking ability, Cognitive Efficiency
Healthy
Age
• Performance on both (general and brief) intellectual ability indices and the cognitive efficiency performance cluster • Two of the cognitive performance clusters (thinking and verbal ability) were related at the trend level
• Children were recruited from the the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • Obese (BMI ≥ 95th %tile; CDC) children (ages 7-9 years old) and a group of healthy weight children (BMI: 5th-85th %tile; CDC) were matched on demographic characteristics (age, sex, SES, IQ) and aerobic fitness • Subjects completed tests from the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities
* Significant at the 0.05 level
Impact
Unique features about the current research: • VAT, rather than SAAT or %Fat, was selectively and negatively related with cognitive function among obese children • Given that childhood obesity is a public health concern with an array of health complications, these results have important implications for the physical and cognitive health of children • Along with the dangerous metabolic nature of VAT, its detrimental relationship with obese children’s intellectual and cognitive functioning raises additional concerns regarding the public health concerns of childhood obesity • Extended research primarily examining BMI indices • DXA provided more accurate measures of weight status to asses its relation to cognitive performance
Obese: r = –0.27, p < 0.05 Healthy: r = 0.13, p = 0.34
Obese: r = –0.32, p < 0.05 Healthy: r = 0.18, p = 0.34
Obese: r = –0.23, p = 0.08 Healthy: r = –0.04, p = 0.76
Obese: r = –0.28, p < 0.05 Healthy: r = 0.23, p = 0.08
Obese: r = –0.25, p = 0.06 Healthy: r = 0.08, p = 0.56
Support for this project was provided by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2011-67001-30101; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) grant R01 HD069381.
Visceral Adipose Tissue is Negatively and Selectively Associated with Cognition Among Obese Children 1Tatsuya
Shigeta, 1Lauren Raine, 2Eric Drollette, 2Shin-Chun Kao, 1Daniel Westfall, 3Mark Scudder, 1Arthur Kramer, 2Naiman Khan, 1Charles Hillman 1Northeastern University, 2University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3University of Pittsburgh
Opportunity
Approach
Childhood Obesity Implications
Method
• Although obesity later in life is a recognized risk factor for cognitive dysfunction, the relation of excess adiposity on childhood cognition remains controversial • Distinguishing between different types of adipose tissue is important. Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAAT) is primarily stored under the skin, whereas visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is stored in the abdominal cavity around vital organs. VAT is metabolically active pathogenic tissue that is mechanistically implicated in inflammation, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia • However, the influence of VAT on children’s cognition remains understudied • VAT may selectively relate to cognitive functioning, as opposed to subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAAT; a functionally different type of fat)
Aim • Extend research on childhood obesity beyond BMI, which is only an indicator overall body mass, and not specific to adiposity • Evaluate the differential impact of adiposity, particularly VAT, on cognitive function among obese and healthy weight children
Results
Participant Demographics Condition
Obese children: • %Fat and SAAT were not related to cognitive function • However, VAT was a significant negative predictor of cognitive function • Increased VAT was associated with poorer intellectual abilities
N
Obese
• Adiposity (i.e., whole body percent fat (%Fat), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAAT), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was assessed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) • VAT and SAAT are functionally different abdominal fat
60 (n = 36 females) 60 (n = 36 females) 8.69 ± 0.51
8.64 ± 0.56
SES
1.68 ± 0.75
1.90 ± 0.82
BIA (IQ)
103.36 ± 12.66
107.00 ± 13.70
FF VO2max
57.59 ± 6.65
56.06 ± 4.36
%Fat
39.96 ± 4.46*
28.19 ± 4.36*
Healthy children:
VAT
342.26 ± 122.31*
129.17 ± 58.74*
•
SAAT
1549.15 ± 528.07* 571.56 ± 289.16*
Adiposity measures were not associated with intellectual abilities or any of the cognitive performance clusters
• Extracted measures: • Intellectual ability (general and brief) • Cognitive performance model clusters • Verbal ability, Thinking ability, Cognitive Efficiency
Healthy
Age
• Performance on both (general and brief) intellectual ability indices and the cognitive efficiency performance cluster • Two of the cognitive performance clusters (thinking and verbal ability) were related at the trend level
• Children were recruited from the the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • Obese (BMI ≥ 95th %tile; CDC) children (ages 7-9 years old) and a group of healthy weight children (BMI: 5th-85th %tile; CDC) were matched on demographic characteristics (age, sex, SES, IQ) and aerobic fitness • Subjects completed tests from the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities
* Significant at the 0.05 level
Impact
Unique features about the current research: • VAT, rather than SAAT or %Fat, was selectively and negatively related with cognitive function among obese children • Given that childhood obesity is a public health concern with an array of health complications, these results have important implications for the physical and cognitive health of children • Along with the dangerous metabolic nature of VAT, its detrimental relationship with obese children’s intellectual and cognitive functioning raises additional concerns regarding the public health concerns of childhood obesity • Extended research primarily examining BMI indices • DXA provided more accurate measures of weight status to asses its relation to cognitive performance
Obese: r = –0.27, p < 0.05 Healthy: r = 0.13, p = 0.34
Obese: r = –0.32, p < 0.05 Healthy: r = 0.18, p = 0.34
Obese: r = –0.23, p = 0.08 Healthy: r = –0.04, p = 0.76
Obese: r = –0.28, p < 0.05 Healthy: r = 0.23, p = 0.08
Obese: r = –0.25, p = 0.06 Healthy: r = 0.08, p = 0.56
Support for this project was provided by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2011-67001-30101; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) grant R01 HD069381.
