The Connection Between Triglycerides and Ectopic Fat Obesity: An Inverted U-Shaped Curve

Abstract

Abstract Background: Ectopic fat obesity and Triglycerides are risk factors for diabetes and multiple cardiovascular diseases, but the data on the relationship between Triglycerides and the risk of ectopic fat obesity are limited. The purpose of this study is to explore the connection between Triglycerides and ectopic fat obesity.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, we retrospectively analyzed 15464 adult participants recruited by Murakami Memorial Hospital from 2004-2015(8430 men and 7034 women, average age 43.71±8.9), to performed the relationship between Triglycerides and ectopic fat obesity, we divided all patients into 4 groups according to the quartile of Triglycerides. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between Triglycerides and the risk of ectopic fat obesity, and the generalized additive model was used to identify the nonlinear relationship.Results: In the study population, the prevalence of ectopic fat obesity was 17.73%, and gradually increased in the quartile of Triglycerides (2.86,7.89,18.25 and 41.22% respectively, P < 0.001).After adjusting other covariables, Triglycerides was positively correlated with the risk of ectopic fat obesity (OR:1.55,95%CI:1.41-1.69, p<0.00001). Then we carried out smooth curve fitting and found that there was an inverted U-shaped curve relationship between Triglycerides and ectopic fat obesity, even if those adjusted covariables were removed from the model, the result remained unchanged, and the inflection point of the curve was 3.98. On the left side of the inflection point, Triglycerides was positively correlated with the risk of ectopic fat obesity(OR:1.784,95%CI:1.611-1.975,p<0.0001), while on the 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 shows that there is a significant correlation between Triglycerides and ectopic fat obesity, this relation is not a simple linear relationship, but it was an inverted U-shaped curve relationship.