Central Obesity and Disease Risk in Japanese Americans

BACKGROUND:

The study was conducted in response to a program announcment issued in 1991 on obesity and tests the hypothesis that atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), hypertension, and/or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) develop in Japanese Americans when there is a truncal pattern of weight gain (central adiposity), which is in turn accompanied by insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and lipid abnormalities. This cluster of abnormalities has been called 'Syndrome X'. It is postulated that 'Syndrome X' develops in Japanese Americans in response to environmental (behavioral) factors, many of which reflect 'westernization' in this ethnic group. The research plan focuses upon the relationship between central obesity and metabolic changes and disease outcomes associated with 'Syndrome X' along with the behavioral variables that potential risk factors for the development of this cluster of abnormalities.

DESIGN NARRATIVE:

The cohort was re-examined for diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart, disease, peripheral vascular disease, and a number of potential coronary heart disease risk factors including medical history, health practice, social history, diet, glycosylated hemoglobin, insulin, proinsulin, c-peptide, glucose, anthrometric measurements, lipids, and computed tomography on the thorax, abdomen, and thigh.