Truncal and abdominal fat as determinants of high triglycerides and low HDL-cholesterol in adolescents.

We examined whether abdominal and truncal adiposity, assessed with simple anthropometric indices, determines serum triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels independently of total adiposity amount in adolescents. A total of 547 Spanish adolescents (284 males and 263 females) aged 13-18.5 years were included in this study. Measures of truncal adiposity included subscapular to triceps ratio, and trunk-to-total skinfolds ratio (TTS%). Waist circumference was used as a surrogate of abdominal adiposity, and BMI was used as a measure of total adiposity. The results of the regression models indicated that levels of triglycerides were positively associated with waist circumference and TTS% after controlling for age and Tanner stage in both sexes. Once BMI was entered in the model, these associations remained significant for waist circumference in females. HDL-cholesterol levels were negatively associated with waist circumference in both sexes, and with subscapular to triceps ratio and TTS% in males, after controlling for age and Tanner stage. Once BMI was entered in the model, these associations remained significant for subscapular to triceps ratio and for TTS% in males. The results of this study suggest that in male adolescents, truncal adiposity is negatively associated with levels of HDL-cholesterol, whereas in females, abdominal adiposity is positively associated with levels of triglycerides independently of total adiposity. These findings highlight the deleterious effect of both truncal and abdominal fat depots on the lipid profile already from the first decades of life.