Abdominal Fat and Imaging Measurements of Heart Disease

NCT01447745 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: CIHR MOP-114920
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 357
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Although it is frequently mentioned in the media that overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions worldwide and in this country, some Canadians are perplexed and sometimes confused about the role of obesity in diabetes and heart disease. In fact, the investigators even hear from time to time that there could be "healthy" obese individuals. In clinical practice, assessment of obesity as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a challenge as even some physicians are confused. However, studies conducted in our laboratory and by other research teams around the world over the last 20 years have clearly shown that body shape is more important than body size when evaluating the risk of overweight/obesity and that high accumulation of abdominal fat (excess belly fat) increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The investigators now need to better understand the link between excess belly fat and atherosclerosis (the thickening of artery walls by fatty deposits, also referred to as atherosclerotic plaque), leading to complications such as angina (chest pain) and myocardial infarction (heart attacks). Using non-invasive imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging, the investigators therefore propose to examine the relationships between measures of fatness and of abdominal fat and the size of atherosclerotic plaque in large blood vessels of apparently healthy human subjects. This study is also a unique opportunity to look, for the first time, at the relationship between belly fat, blood sugar, several well-known risk factors for heart disease (cholesterol, blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness, etc.) and the size of atherosclerotic plaques. This research program should pave the way to the development of new improved preventive/therapeutic approaches focusing not on body weight but rather on abdominal fat and associated blood abnormalities which are predictive of the development of atherosclerotic plaques leading to the premature development of heart disease.

Conditions

Visceral Obesity; Atherosclerosis; Metabolic Syndrome

Keywords

Visceral obesity; Cardiometabolic risk; Atherosclerosis; Ectopic fat; Carotid plaque; Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); Computed tomography (CT)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in carotid vessel wall volume measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

  Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of the relationships between indices of body fat distribution, visceral adiposity/ectopic fat deposition, cardiorespiratory fitness and non-invasive measurements of macrovascular atherosclerosis

  Change between baseline and 3-year follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Change in abdominal adipose tissue measured by computed tomography (CT)

  Change between baseline and 3-year follow-up

• Change in epi- and pericardial fat measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

  Change between baseline and 3-year follow-up

Study Arms (1)

Observational, longitudinal study

Adult men and women representative of the population of asymptomatic adult men and women aged from 35-65 years living in the Québec City metropolitan area

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 35 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Random sample of adult men and women representative of the population of asymptomatic adult men and women aged from 35-65 years living in the Québec City metropolitan area

You may qualify if:

• Men and women aged 35-65 years

You may not qualify if:

• Massive obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2)
• Pharmacological treatment for lipids, hypertension and/or type 2 diabetes
• Clinical signs of cardiovascular disease
• Chronic inflammatory or auto-immune diseases
• Pulmonary diseases on corticosteroids
• Cancers not in remission
• History or clinical evidence of coronary heart disease (CHD)
• History of revascularisation procedures
• Current smoking
• Hormonal replacement therapy

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Laval University: lead
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec

Québec, G1V 4G5, Canada

Location

Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITH DNA

Whole blood, serum, plasma, white cells

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity, Abdominal; Atherosclerosis; Metabolic Syndrome

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Obesity; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Arteriosclerosis; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Insulin Resistance; Hyperinsulinism; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases

Study Officials

• DESPRÉS Jean-Pierre, PhD

  Université Laval/Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 27, 2011
• First Posted: October 6, 2011
• Study Start: March 1, 2013
• Primary Completion: February 1, 2020
• Study Completion: February 1, 2020
• Last Updated: September 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Locations

CA (1)