Does waist circumference add to the predictive power of the body mass index for coronary risk?

OBJECTIVES: To examine the power of the combined measurements of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) for the prediction of abnormality in coronary heart disease risk factors and to determine whether the additional measurement of WC is predictive in older men and women. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: 1190 men and 751 women of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging were dichotomized into younger (<65 years) and older (65+ years) age groups. Coronary risk factors in the realms of glucose/insulin metabolism, blood pressure, and plasma lipids were assessed. The relationship of BMI and WC, singly and combined, to 10 risk factors for coronary heart disease was examined. RESULTS: In younger and older men and women, BMI and WC are highly correlated (0.84 to 0.88). BMI and WC are also significantly correlated to all 10 coronary risk factors in younger men and women and to 8 of the 10 in the older men and women. Both partial correlation and logistic regression analyses revealed a modest but significant improvement in the prediction of coronary risk in younger men and women by WC after controlling for the level of BMI. There was no improvement in the older subjects. DISCUSSION: WC adds only modestly to the prediction of coronary risk in younger subjects once BMI is known, and adds nothing to the production of risk in older subjects.     

Body mass index and hip and thigh circumferences are negatively associated with visceral adipose tissue after control for waist circumference

BACKGROUND: Waist circumference (WC) is positively associated with morbidity and mortality with or without control for hip circumference (HC) or body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)). This association is thought to be explained by an expanded visceral adipose tissue (VAT) depot. Conversely, HC and BMI are negatively associated with morbidity and mortality after control for WC. Whether this inverse association is explained in part by the ability of HC and BMI to identify subjects with increased subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), increased skeletal muscle (SM) mass, or decreased VAT after control for WC is unclear. OBJECTIVE: We examined the independent associations between WC, HC, thigh circumference (ThC), and BMI with VAT and total, lower-body, and abdominal SAT and SM. DESIGN: Total and regional body composition were measured in 256 white men and women with magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: WC, HC, ThC, and BMI were all positively correlated with total, lower-body, and abdominal SAT and SM and with VAT. After statistical control for WC, HC, ThC, and BMI remained positively associated with total, lower-body, and abdominal SAT and SM (men only) but were negatively associated with VAT (P < 0.05). HC (P < 0.05) but not BMI (P > 0.10) or ThC (P = 0.06) remained negatively associated with VAT after further control for age. CONCLUSIONS: HC, ThC, and BMI are positively associated with total, lower-body, and abdominal SAT and SM but negatively associated with VAT after control for WC. However, only HC remained negatively associated with VAT after control for age and WC.     

Attitudes of women and men physicians.

Attitudinal data obtained from interviewing random samples of women and men physicians in metropolitan Detroit indicated that women were generally more liberal and egalitarian than men. Older women were more liberal/egalitarian than older men while younger men were closer in attitudes to younger women. Within specialities, women and men physicians frequently held similar attitudinal scores; however, controlling for age, sex accounted for more variation than did specialty. A weighted combination of variables which together most significantly discriminated between age and sex subgroups pointed to a sensitivity dimension. This was stronger in the women; yet men demonstrating a similar sensitivity were found in almost every age and specialty grouping. Although younger men physicians are less conservative than older men physicians, both younger and older women physicians demonstrated strong liberalism/egalitarianism.     

Visceral adipose tissue and the ratio of visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue are greater in adults with than in those without spinal cord injury, despite matching waist circumferences

BACKGROUND: Abdominal obesity, particularly visceral adipose tissue (VAT), is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Despite an elevated risk of CHD mortality in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), neither abdominal adipose tissue accumulation nor the validity of waist circumference (WC) has been determined in persons with SCI. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to compare total adipose tissue (TAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and the ratio of VAT to SAT (VAT:SAT) between adults with SCI and age-, sex-, and WC-matched able-bodied (AB) controls and to determine the relation between WC and VAT in both groups. DESIGN: Thirty-one men and women (n = 15 SCI and 16 AB) with a mean (+/-SD) age of 38.9 +/- 7.9 y participated in this cross-sectional study. Abdominal adipose tissue was quantified by computed tomography at L4-L5. WC was measured at 3 sites: lowest rib, iliac crest, and the midpoint between the lowest rib and iliac crest. RESULTS: Persons with SCI had a 58% greater mean VAT (P = 0.003), 48% greater mean VAT:SAT (P = 0.034), and 26% greater mean TAT (P = 0.055) than did matched AB controls after differences in weight were accounted for. Mean SAT was not significantly different between groups. WC at all sites was correlated with VAT in both groups (SCI: 0.905 < or = r < or = 0.925; AB: 0.838 < or = r < or = 0.877; both P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High levels of VAT exist in young people with SCI who classify themselves as active and healthy. WC may be a valid surrogate measure of VAT in this population and serve as a tool for clinicians to identify those at risk of CHD.     

Indirect Predictors of Visceral Adipose Tissue in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Comparison of Methods

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) accumulation, is a part of a polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotype. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) provides a gold standard measurement of VAT. This study aimed to compare ten different indirect methods of VAT estimation in PCOS women. The study included 154 PCOS and 68 age- and BMI-matched control women. Subjects were divided into age groups: 18–30 y.o. and 30–40 y.o. Analysis included: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), waist/height 0.5 (WHT.5R), visceral adipose index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), and fat mass index (FMI). VAT accumulation, android-to-gynoid ratio (A/G), and total body fat (TBF) was measured by DXA. ROC analysis revealed that WHtR, WHT.5R, WC, BMI, and LAP demonstrated the highest predictive value in identifying VAT in the PCOS group. Lower cut-off values of BMI (23.43 kg/m²) and WHtR (0.45) were determined in the younger PCOS group and higher thresholds of WHtR (0.52) in the older PCOS group than commonly used. Measuring either: WHtR, WHT.5R, WC, BMI, or LAP, could help identify a subgroup of PCOS patients at high cardiometabolic risk. The current observations reinforce the importance of using special cut-offs to identify VAT, dependent on age and PCOS presence.     

Sex differences in visceral adipose tissue volume among African Americans

BACKGROUND: Men are believed to have more visceral adipose tissue (VAT) than women have, but studies in African Americans that measured VAT from a single computed tomography (CT) slice found no sex difference. OBJECTIVE: We used a serial-slice CT scan to investigate whether there is a sex difference in VAT volume among African Americans. DESIGN: Single-slice CT measurements of VAT area at lumbar spine L2-3 and L4-5 levels were taken in 110 African Americans (44 men, 66 women). In 59 subjects (24 men, 35 women), VAT volume was also measured with contiguous CT slices from the diaphragm to the iliac crest. Fat mass was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. RESULTS: Men and women had similar ages (x +/- SD: 36.1 +/- 7.8 and 35.6 +/- 7.8 y, respectively) and body mass indexes in kg/m(2) (29.5 +/- 6.9 and 32.0 +/- 8.9). The percentage of body fat was lower (P < 0.0001) in men (21.8 +/- 7.3%) than in women (37.4 +/- 7.9%). The VAT volume was greater (P = 0.01) in men (1443 +/- 931 cm(3)) than in women (940 +/- 821 cm(3)). There was no sex difference in unadjusted VAT area at L2-3 (men, 88.6 +/- 63.5 cm(2); women, 57.2 +/- 45.4 cm(2)) or L4-5 (men, 65.6 +/- 53.3 cm(2); women, 55.0 +/- 38.3 cm(2)). After adjustment for percentage of body fat or fat mass, men had larger VAT area at both levels (P < 0.01). After adjustment for body mass index, the sex difference in VAT area was detectable at L2-3 (P < 0.001) but not at L4-5 (P = 0.22). CONCLUSIONS: VAT volume is greater in men than in women. Detection of sex differences in VAT area among African Americans on single-slice CT requires adjustment for body fat content. At L2-3, adjustment for body mass index alone is adequate to detect sex differences in VAT.     

Comparison of visceral adipose tissue mass in adult African Americans and whites

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have reported racial differences in the amount of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), a risk factor for metabolic diseases. These results are equivocal and have not controlled for hormonal influences on VAT mass. This study was designed to measure the extent to which race is associated with VAT, controlling for total adipose tissue (TAT) mass and testosterone. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Using a cross-sectional study design, we measured TAT mass using DXA, VAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue mass using magnetic resonance imaging, and sex hormones using radioimmunoassay in 224 African-American and white men and women. RESULTS: White men had increased VAT mass, even when controlling for TAT and age, compared with African-American men. White women also had a higher VAT mass compared with African-American women, but only when controlling for TAT and age. When multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the racial differences in VAT mass in a subset of subjects (n=80), controlling for sex hormones, it was found that white men, but not women, had increased VAT mass compared with their African-American counterparts. DISCUSSION: Based on the results of this study, we conclude that, when controlling for TAT, sex hormone levels, and age, white men, but not women, have more VAT mass than African-American men and women. Additional studies are needed to explore possible environmental and genetic influences on fat distribution relative to race and sex.     

Serum leptin in elderly people: associations with sex hormones, insulin, and adipose tissue volumes

OBJECTIVE: There are few data for associations of serum leptin with body fat, fat distribution, sex hormones, or fasting insulin in elderly adults. We hypothesized that the sex difference in serum leptin concentrations would disappear after adjustment for subcutaneous, but not visceral body fat. Serum leptin would not be associated with sex hormone concentrations or serum fasting insulin after adjusting for body fat and fat distribution. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volumes were measured using magnetic resonance imaging in a cross-sectional sample of 56 nondiabetic, elderly men and women aged 64 years to 94 years. Serum leptin, sex hormones (testosterone and estrone), sex hormone-binding globulin, and fasting insulin were also measured. Nine women were taking hormone replacement, and five men were clinically hypogonadal. RESULTS: Leptin was significantly associated with both SAT and VAT in each sex. Adjustment for SAT reduced the sex difference in leptin by 56%, but adjustment for VAT increased the difference by 25%. Leptin was not associated with serum estrone or hormone replacement therapy in the women, but had a significant, negative association with testosterone in the men that was independent of SAT, but not VAT. Leptin was significantly associated with fasting insulin in both sexes independent of age, sex hormones, sex hormone-binding globulin, VAT and SAT. DISCUSSION: Sex difference in serum leptin is partly explained by different amounts of SAT. Studies including both men and women should adjust for SAT rather than total body fat that includes VAT. The sex difference in serum leptin is not due to estrogen, but may be partly explained by testosterone. Testosterone is negatively associated with leptin in men, but the association is confounded with VAT. Leptin is associated with fasting insulin in nondiabetic elderly men and women independent of body fat, fat distribution, or sex hormones.     

Sagittal abdominal diameter: no advantage compared with other anthropometric measures as a correlate of components of the metabolic syndrome in elderly from the Hoorn Study

BACKGROUND: The sagittal abdominal diameter has been proposed as a useful measure by which to estimate abdominal obesity and as being more strongly related to components of the metabolic syndrome than are other anthropometric measures. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to study which anthropometric measure (ie, sagittal abdominal diameter, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, or body mass index) is the strongest correlate of components of the metabolic syndrome (ie, glucose and lipid concentrations and blood pressure) in the elderly. DESIGN: The Hoorn Study is a population-based cohort study in older Dutch men and women. Cross-sectional data were analyzed. Age-adjusted Pearson correlations of anthropometric measures with components of the metabolic syndrome were calculated in 826 subjects (389 men, 437 women) aged 56-83 y. Analyses were performed with adjustment for age and stratification for sex and age (<65 or >/=65 y). RESULTS: No single anthropometric measure was consistently correlated more strongly with components of the metabolic syndrome than were the other measures in either men or women. The associations were generally stronger in younger subjects than in older subjects and in women than in men. For example, the correlation between sagittal abdominal diameter and postload glucose was 0.35 (P < 0.001) in younger and 0.14 (P = 0.051) in older men, and the correlation between waist circumference and postload glucose was 0.33 (P < 0.001) in older women and 0.14 (P = 0.062) in older men. CONCLUSION: The use of sagittal abdominal diameter has no advantages over simpler and more commonly used anthropometric measures such as the waist circumference in older men and women.     

Water balance, hydration status, and fat-free mass hydration in younger and older adults

BACKGROUND: Older adults are at increased risk of dehydration, yet water balance is understudied in this population. OBJECTIVE: This controlled diet study assessed the effect of age on water input, output, and balance in healthy adults. Hydration status (plasma osmolality and urine specific gravity) and body composition were also measured. DESIGN: Eleven men and 14 women aged 23-46 y and 10 men and 11 women aged 63-81 y were subjects. Water balance was assessed during days 7-10 of three 18-d controlled feeding trials with protein intakes of 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 g . kg(-1) . d(-1). Total water input included water from the provided foods and beverages, ad libitum intake, and metabolic production. Water output included the losses in urine and stool and the insensible losses from respiration and nonsweating perspiration. RESULTS: Ad libitum water consumption, total water intake, water output through urine, total water output, and net water balance were not different in the older subjects than in the younger subjects. Markers of hydration status were within the range of clinical normalcy for all groups. Total body water (TBW) was not significantly different, fat-free mass (FFM) was significantly lower (P < 0.05), and FFM hydration (TBW:FFM) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the older subjects than in the younger subjects. Dietary protein intake did not influence any of these results. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that healthy older adults maintain water input, output, and balance comparable to those of younger adults and have no apparent changes in hydration status. The results support that the hydration of FFM is increased in older men and women.     

不同体重指数和腰围人群的血压均值及高血压患病率调查

目的：探讨体重指数(BMI和腰围(WC)对人群血压水平和高血压患病率的影响。方法：对1992—1994年和1998年在中国不同地区男女性中年人群中进行的两次心血管病危险因素调查资科合并共35 003人，比较不同BMI和WC分组的平均血压水平及其高血压患病率。结果：随着BMI和／或WC的增加，人群血压水平、高血压患病率呈明显的上升趋势，在多数BMI组中，男女性WC与血压均值和高血压患病车间存在明显的线性相关关系(线性趋势检验P＜0．05)，同样在不同的WC组中，BMI均与血压均值和高血压患病车间存在明显的线性相关关系。男女性按不同BMI及WC标准分组的年龄调整高血压患病率分别为16．5％、14．1％(BMI＜24kg／m^2，男／女：WC＜85／80cm)，29．8％、20．6％(BMI＜24kg／m^2，男／女：WC≥85／80cm)，29．6％、24．7％(BMI：24．0—27．9kg／m^2，男／女：WC＜85／80cm)，39．2％、30．3％(BMI：24．0—27．9kg／m^2，男／女：WC≥85／80cm)，57．5％、43．3％(BMI≥28kg／m^2，男／女：WC≥85／80cm)。结论：BMI和WC均与人群血压有相互独立的关联，保持BMI和WC均在正常范围是预防高血压的有效措施。     

Relation of central adiposity and body mass index to the development of diabetes in the Diabetes Prevention Program

BACKGROUND: Greater central adiposity is related to the risk of diabetes. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to test the hypothesis that central adiposity measured by computed tomography (CT) is a better predictor of the risk of diabetes than is body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist/hip ratio (WHR), or waist/height ratio. DESIGN: Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) were measured at the L2-3 and L4-5 disc spaces in 1106 of the 3234 participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program. Sex-specific proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the association between VAT and SAT at both cuts, BMI, and other measures of central adiposity as predictors of the development of diabetes. RESULTS: Men had more VAT than did women. White subjects had more VAT at both cuts than did other ethnic groups. The ratio of VAT to SAT was lowest in African Americans of both sexes. Among men in the placebo group, VAT at both cuts, WC, BMI, waist/height ratio, and WHR predicted diabetes (hazard ratio: 1.79-1.44 per 1 SD of variable). Among women in the lifestyle group, VAT at both cuts predicted diabetes as well as did BMI, and L2-3 was a significantly better predictor than was WC or WHR. SAT did not predict diabetes. None of the body fat measurements predicted diabetes in the metformin group. CONCLUSIONS: In the placebo and lifestyle groups, VAT at both cuts, WHR, and WC predicted diabetes. No measure predicted diabetes in the metformin group. CT provided no important advantage over these simple measures. SAT did not predict diabetes.     

Sex differences in postabsorptive plasma vitamin A transport.

This study examined postabsorptive plasma vitamin A after doses of retinyl palmitate in healthy men (n = 28) and women (n = 31). On consecutive days one physiologic [3000 retinol equivalents (RE)] and one pharmacologic dose (105,000 RE) were administered and blood samples collected. Plasma retinol and retinyl esters were measured by HPLC. Tolerance curves were constructed by plotting plasma retinyl ester concentration vs time. Postprandial retinyl ester response was measured as peak rise in retinyl ester concentration and area under the curve (AUC). Peak plasma retinyl ester concentration occurred earlier for females but the earlier peak was significant only for younger subjects (< or = 50 y, P < 0.02) given the low dose and older subjects (> 50 y, P < 0.02) given the high dose. Peak rise and AUC were lower in females than in males, but this difference was significant for the high dose only (P < 0.05). In the high-dose experiment, when each age group was evaluated for sex differences the peak rise was significantly greater in males than in females in the older subjects (P < 0.05). Postabsorptive plasma retinol did not change from fasting concentrations. A lower plasma response in retinyl esters in women could be due to a more efficient chylomicron-remnant clearance.     

Visceral adipose tissue: relations between single-slice areas and total volume

BACKGROUND: Visceral adipose tissue (VAT), which is linked with the metabolic consequences of obesity, is usually characterized by measuring VAT area at the L4-L5 vertebral interspace. However, the location of the slice with the strongest relation to VAT volume is not established. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the relations between cross-sectional VAT areas at different anatomic locations and VAT volume in a large, diverse sample of healthy subjects. DESIGN: VAT volume was derived from slice areas taken at 5-cm intervals from magnetic resonance images in 121 healthy men [x +/- SD age: 41.9 +/- 15.8 y; body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)): 26.0 +/- 3.2; VAT: 2.7 +/- 1.8 L] and 198 healthy women (age: 48.1 +/- 18.7 y; BMI: 27.0 +/- 5.4; VAT: 1.7 +/- 1.2 L). Regression models were developed to identify the best single slice for estimating VAT volume. RESULTS: The VAT area 10 cm above L4-L5 (A(+10)) in men (R(2) = 0.932, P < 0.001) and 5 cm above L4-L5 (A(+5)) in women (R(2) = 0.945, P < 0.001) had the highest correlation with abdominal VAT. R(2) increased by only 3.8% in men and 0.5% in women with adjustment for age, race, scanning position, BMI, and waist circumference. Studies using A(+10) in men and A(+5) in women will require 14% and 9% fewer subjects, respectively, than those using slices at L4-L5 and will have equivalent power. CONCLUSION: Measurement of slice areas at A(+10) in men and A(+5) in women provides greater power for the detection of VAT volume differences than does measurement at L4-L5.     

Health-related lifestyle and mental health among inhabitants of a city in Japan

AIM: Few studies have linked mental health to lifestyle factors in the Japanese general population. The present investigation was conducted to examine whether mental health is associated with a health-related lifestyle and how the strength of the association, if any, differs across sex and age groups, using health survey data for inhabitants of Japan. METHODS: The data used were obtained from a questionnaire survey on lifestyle and health. In 1998, the questionnaires were mailed to 2,288 subjects selected from among the inhabitants of a city in Japan, of whom 1,642 subjects (71.8%) responded. The present study included 1,343 subjects who completed all the items that were used in the analysis. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) -12 was used as an indicator of mental health, with 4 points or higher (high score) indicating poor mental health. Information on eight different lifestyle parameters was also obtained. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of having poor mental health for each lifestyle. RESULTS: Subjects in poor mental health had a lower mean score for a healthy lifestyle than those in good mental health. The difference in the mean score increased with age among men, while it decreased with age among women. The OR for having poor mental health among non-exercisers was higher in the older age group among men, while it was higher in the younger age group among women. A strong association between sleep hours and mental health was observed in the older age group among men, while it was seen in the younger age groups among women. Dietary factors in general showed a clearer association with mental health among women than among men, except for the consumption of salty foods, the association of which with mental health was more evident among men. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health was found to be significantly associated with health-related lifestyles in the Japanese population. The strength of the association for each lifestyle varied considerably across sex and age groups.     

Sarcopenic-obesity and cardiovascular disease risk in the elderly

Objectives  To determine: 1) whether sarcopenic-obesity is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than either sarcopenia or obesity alone in the elderly, and 2) whether muscle mass or muscular strength is a stronger marker of CVD risk. Design  Prospective cohort study. Participants  Participants included 3366 community-dwelling older (65 years) men and women who were free of CVD at baseline. Measurements  Waist circumference (WC), bioimpedance analysis, and grip strength were used to measure abdominal obesity, whole-body muscle mass, and muscular strength, respectively. Subjects were classified as normal, sarcopenic, obese, or sarcopenic-obese based on measures of WC and either muscle mass or strength. Participants were followed for 8 years for CVD development and proportional hazard regression models were used to compare risk estimates for CVD in the four groups after adjusting for age, sex, race, income, smoking, alcohol, and cognitive status. Results  Compared with the normal group, CVD risk was not significantly elevated within the obese, sarcopenic, or sarcopenic-obese groups as determined by WC and muscle mass. When determined by WC and muscle strength, CVD risk was not significantly increased in the sarcopenic or obese groups, but was increased by 23% (95% confidence interval: 0.99–1.54, P=0.06) within the sarcopenic-obese group. Conclusion  Sarcopenia and obesity alone were not sufficient to increase CVD risk. Sarcopenic-obesity, based on muscle strength but not muscle mass, was modestly associated with increased CVD risk. These findings imply that strength may be more important than muscle mass for CVD protection in old age.     

Physical activity energy expenditure predicts changes in body composition in middle-aged healthy whites: effect modification by age

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) predicts changes in body composition. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to describe the independent associations between PAEE and changes in body composition in a population-based cohort. DESIGN: This was a prospective population-based study conducted in 739 (311 men and 428 women) healthy middle-aged (median age: 53.8 y) whites. The median follow-up was 5.6 y. PAEE (MJ/d) was assessed by heart rate monitoring, individually calibrated by using the FLEX heart rate method. Fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) were assessed by bioimpedance. RESULTS: Body weight (BW) at follow-up was significantly related to baseline PAEE (P < 0.05) after adjustment for sex, baseline age, FM, FFM, and follow-up time. A significant interaction between PAEE and age (P = 0.023) was observed. After the subjects were stratified (above and below the median for age), BW increased by a mean (+/-SD) of 1.7 +/- 5.9 kg (P < 0.0001) in the younger cohort. In this group, follow-up FM was significantly associated with baseline PAEE (P = 0.036) after adjustment for confounders. In the older cohort, BW did not change between baseline and follow-up. In this group, in contrast with the younger population, follow-up BW, FM, and FFM were all significantly and positively associated with baseline PAEE (P < 0.01 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline PAEE predicts a change in FM in younger adults, who as a group gained weight in this study. In contrast, baseline PAEE in older adults--who were on average weight stable--is associated with a gain in BW, which was explained by an increase in FM and FFM.     

Sexual Partner Age Preferences of Homosexual and Heterosexual Men and Women

The sexual age preferences of 192 adults (equal groups of heterosexual men, heterosexual women, homosexual men, and homosexual women) were examined. Participants rated the sexual attractiveness of pictures of 15 male and 15 female faces arranged into five apparent average age categories ranging from 18 to 60 years. It was predicted that homosexual and heterosexual men would prefer younger partners of their preferred sex than would homosexual and heterosexual women and that age preference would not vary with participant age. Both predictions were supported, although homosexual women preferred older partners than expected. Results suggest that age and sex preferences develop independently.     

Gender differences in the association of age with physical workload and functioning

Aims: To test whether (1) physically demanding work is less frequent for older than younger employees, and whether (2) the association of physically demanding work with decline of physical functioning is stronger for older employees than their younger counterparts. The gender differences in these associations were examined.

Methods: Subjects of the study were 40–60 year old employees of the City of Helsinki. Data (n = 5802) were collected with mail questionnaires in 2000 and 2001. Functioning was measured with the Role Limitations due to Physical Health Problems scale of the SF36 health questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to analyse the data.

Results: There was a linear trend of less physically demanding work in older than in younger age groups. This trend was more marked for men than women. Age and physically demanding work were associated with poor functioning. In women the association of physically demanding work with poor functioning tended to be stronger for older than for younger age groups, while the opposite was observed in men.

Conclusions: Results suggest that physically demanding work causes more ailments in women of high age than men. It is possible that less men than women are still employed in physically demanding occupations at high age, even though direct evidence of exit from physically demanding work cannot be obtained from cross-sectional data. In these data the physically demanding occupations for men and women were largely different. High physical workload among women working in social and health care is likely to contribute to the gender differences.

     

Both subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue correlate highly with insulin resistance in african americans

OBJECTIVE: The contribution of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) to insulin resistance is well-established; however, the role of subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAT) in insulin resistance remains controversial. Sex may determine which of these two components of abdominal obesity is more strongly related to insulin resistance and its consequences. The aim of this study was to determine whether both VAT and SAT contribute to insulin resistance in African Americans and to examine the effects of sex on this relationship. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This was a cross-sectional study of 78 nondiabetic African-American volunteers (44 men, 35 women; age 33.8 +/- 7.3 years; BMI 30.9 +/- 7.4 kg/m2). VAT and SAT volumes were measured using serial computerized tomography slices from the dome of the diaphragm to the iliac crest. The insulin sensitivity index (SI) was determined from the minimal model using data obtained from the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test. RESULTS: In men, both VAT and SAT were negatively correlated with SI (r for both correlations = -0.57; p < 0.01). In women, the correlation coefficient between VAT and SI was -0.50 (p < 0.01) and between SAT and SI was -0.67 (p < 0.01). In women, the correlation coefficient for SI with SAT was significantly greater than the correlation coefficient with VAT (p = 0.02). DISCUSSION: Both SAT and VAT are strongly correlated with insulin resistance in African Americans. For African-American women, SAT may have a greater effect than VAT on insulin resistance.