The association between triglycerides and ectopic fat obesity: An inverted U-shaped curve

Abstract

Background Ectopic fat obesity and triglycerides are risk factors for diabetes and multiple cardiovascular diseases. However, there have been limited studies on the association between triglycerides and ectopic fat obesity. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between triglycerides and ectopic fat obesity. Methods and results In this cross-sectional study, we retrospectively analyzed 15464 adult participants recruited by Murakami Memorial Hospital (8430 men and 7034 women, average age of 43.71 ± 8.90). All patients were divided into two groups according to the threshold used to diagnose hypertriglyceridemia. The logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between triglycerides and the risk of ectopic fat obesity, and the generalized additive model was used to identify the nonlinear association. In this study population, the prevalence of ectopic fat obesity was 17.73%. After adjusting other covariables, triglycerides were positively correlated with the risk of ectopic fat obesity (OR: 1.54, 95% CI:1.41–1.69, P<0.0001). Through smooth curve fitting, we found that there was an inverted U-shaped curve association between triglycerides and ectopic fat obesity. This association remained unchanged even if the adjusted covariables were removed from the model, and the inflection point of the curve was 3.98. When triglyceride levels were ≤3.98, triglycerides were positively correlated with the risk of ectopic fat obesity (OR:1.784, 95% CI:1.611–1.975, P<0.0001). When triglyceride levels were >3.98 (right side of the inflection point), there was a negative correlation (OR:0.519, 95% CI:0.333–0.810, P = 0.0039). Conclusions Our research showed that there is a significant association between triglycerides and ectopic fat obesity. This relation is not a simple linear relationship but instead an inverted U-shaped curve association.