• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.25-35
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• 2008

Objectives This study was performed to find out the characters about distribution of abdominal fat(especially superficial and deep subcutaneous fat) in obese premenopausal Korean women. Methods 39 obese premenopausal women were recruited in 2008. Anthropometry and body impedance analysis have been done and abdominal fat distribution had been assessed by computed tomography scan at the level of L4-5. Blood test and questionnaires about depression, eating attitude and physical activity were underwent. Result Abdominal total fat area, subcutaneous fat area including superficial and deep were significantly correlated with anthropometry and BIA result while visceral fat was correlated only with age and waist circumference. In blood profile, only visceral fat area was correlated with HDL cholesterol and triglyceride. And there were no correlation among questionnaires and abdominal fat. There were no difference between superficial and deep subcutaneous fat. Conclusion Abdominal subcutaneous fat including superficial and deep did not have any correlation with heart risk factor. superficial and deep subcutaneous fat had no differences with each other and they did not show any correlation with visceral fat in obese perimenopausal Korean women.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2018

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplementation has been suggested to negatively correlate with obesity in humans and other animals. Previous studies, including ours, have demonstrated that a high-fat diet (HFD) induces obesity and related diseases such as hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Here, we investigated the effects of vitamin C on visceral adipocyte hypertrophy and glucose intolerance in C57BL/6J mice. Mice received a low-fat diet (LFD, 10% kcal fat), HFD (45% kcal fat), or the same HFD supplemented with vitamin C (HFD-VC, 1% w/w) for 15 weeks. Visceral adiposity and glucose intolerance were examined using metabolic measurements, histology, and gene expression analyses. Mice in the HFD-VC supplementation group had reduced body weight, mesenteric fat mass, and mesenteric adipocyte size compared with HFD-fed mice. Vitamin C intake in obese mice also decreased the mRNA levels of lipogenesis-related genes (i.e., stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c) in mesenteric adipose tissues, inhibited hyperglycemia, and improved glucose tolerance. In addition, vitamin C attenuated the HFD-induced increase in the size of pancreatic islets. These results suggest that vitamin C suppresses HFD-induced visceral adipocyte hypertrophy and glucose intolerance in part by decreasing the visceral adipose expression of genes involved in lipogenesis.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2013

Objectives: Considering that homeothermy is a major component of metabolic rate, body temperature might play a role in the pathophysiology of obesity. This study aimed to determine the relationship between abdominal fat distribution and abdominal temperature in Korean, premenopausal, obese women. Methods: Weight and height were measured in 26 premenopausal, obese women to calculate body mass index (BMI). Obesity was defined as a $BMI{\geq}25kg/m^2$. Waist circumference (WC) was also measured as well as abdominal fat by computed tomography (CT) and abdominal temperature by digital infrared thermographic imaging (DITI). Results: Visceral abdominal fat area was found to have a significant negative correlation with the temperature of Guanyuan (CV4, lower abdomen acupoint). We also found the visceral-subcutaneous fat ratio had a significant negative correlation with the temperature of CV4 and Right Tianshu (RST25, lateral navel acupoint). Only visceral fat and its ratio to subcutaneous fat had a significant correlation with abdominal temperature. Subcutaneous fat area and total fat area were not correlated with abdominal temperature. Conclusions: This study suggests that abdominal visceral fat has a significant negative correlation with abdominal temperature. Further study is needed to uncover the relationship between abdominal fat distribution and temperature regulation in obese individuals and to define the role of body temperature in the pathogenesis of obesity.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2006

Objectives : This study was designed to evaluate the relationship with abdominal visceral fat area in obese patients identified as phlegm type. Methods : This research were performed in 201 cases, visited Kirin Oriental Hospital from March 2005 to February 2006 for weight loss. We measured body mass index(BMI), abdominal CT, and classified all patients into two groups, normal and obesity group. And then we differentiated patients with phlegm-retention symptom from patients without it through questionnaire made by Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine. Results and Conclusions : Phlegm type was significantly higher than them of no symptom of phlegm in the abdominal visceral areas(P=0.036) and ratio(P=0.007), in obesity group$(BMI{\geq}25)$. On the other hand, there is little difference between abdominal visceral fat areas of phlegm type and no symptom of phlegm in normal group. According to the above results, if obese patients are diagnosed as identification of phlegm type there is good chance of abdominal visceral obesity.

• Journal of Convergence Korean Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.23-27
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ameliorative effects of the Epimedium koreanum Nakai (EK) on menopausal obesity in mice. Methods: To induce the menopausal obesity, female C57BL/6J mice were ovariectomized and fed with high fat diet for 12 weeks. 17β-estradiol was injected as a positive control and the extract of EK was orally administered 5 times per week for 6 weeks. Body weight, uterine weight and visceral fat weight were measured. The size of the adipocyte in visceral fat tissues was estimated by Hematoxylin and eosin staining. Fasting glucose level was estimated in serum. Results: Body weight and visceral fat weight were significantly decreased by EK treatment, while the uterine weight/body weight was increased in high fat diet-fed ovariectomized mice. The diameter of adipocyte in the visceral fat tissues was markedly reduced in EK-treated menopausal obese mice. In addition, the fasting blood glucose level was inhibited by oral EK administration. Conclusion: In conclusion, these results showed that EK has ameliorative effects on overweight after menopause. EK could be one of the alternative therapy for treating menopausal obesity.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 2000

The purpose of the present study was to determine the preventive effects of combined interventional trial of fish oil treatment and exercise training on insulin resistance of skeletal muscle in high-fat fed rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into chow diet (CD), high-fat diet (HF), high-fat diet with fish oil (FO), high-fat diet with exercise training (EX), and FO+EX groups. The rats in control group were fed chow diet containing, as percents of calories, 58.9% carbohydrate, 12.4% fat, and 28.7% protein. High-fat diet provided 32% energy as lard, 18% as corn oil, 27% as carbohydrate and 23% as casein. The fish oil diet had the same composition as the high fat diet except that 100 g menhaden oil was substituted for corn oil. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by in vitro glucose transport in the soleus muscle after diet treatment and treadmill running for 4 weeks. While the FO or EX only partially prevented insulin resistance on glucose transport and visceral obesity induced by high-fat diet, these interventions completely corrected hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia from the high-fat diet. The rats in the FO+EX showed normalized insulin action on glucose transport, plasma chemicals and visceral fat mass. Insulin-mediated glucose transport was negatively associated with total visceral fat mass (r=－0.734; p＜0.000), plasma triglyceride (r=－0.403; p＜0.05) and lepin (r=－0.583; p＜0.001) concentrations with significance. Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that only total visceral fat mass was independently associated with insulin-mediated glucose transport (r=－0.668; p＜0.000). In conclusion, combined interventional trial of FO+EX recovered insulin resistance on glucose transport of skeletal muscle induced by high-fat diet. Visceral fat mass might be more important factor than plasma TG and leptin to induce insulin resistance on glucose transport of skeletal muscle in high-fat fed rats.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.249-258
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• 2008

Purpose : Abdominal obesity with visceral fat accumulation have been known to be intimately associated with the development of metabolic syndrome. Therefore, it is important to estimate the precise amount of visceral fat. Ultrasonography has been reported that it is a simple and noninvasive method for visceral fat evaluation. Purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of ultrasonographic visceral fat thickness, anthropometric indexes, and risk factor of metabolic syndrome, and to investigate the cut-off value of abdominal visceral fat thickness leading to increased risk of metabolic syndrome. Materials and methods : The subject included 200 men and 200 women who visited D healthcare center in Daejeon from January to April 2008. The subcutaneous fat thickness and visceral fat thickness were measured by ultrasonograph. As anthropometric index, we measured body mass index, waist circumference and waist/height ratio. As for the risk factor of metabolic syndrome, we measured blood pressure, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride and fasting serum glucose. Results : VFT was significantly correlated with waist circumference, (r=0.683/M, r=0.604/F), waist to height ratio (r=0.633/M, r=0.593/F) and BMI (r=0.621/M, r=0.534/F) in both men and women. In addition it was significantly correlated with Systolic blood pressure (r=0.229/M, r=0.232/F), Diastolic blood pressure ((r=0.285/M, r=0.254/F), high density cholesterol (r=-0.254/M, r=-0.254/F), Triglyceride (r=0.475/M, r=0.411/F), and Fasting blood sugar (r=0.158/M, r=0.234/F) in both men and women. The cut-off value of visceral fat thickness leading to the increased risk of metabolic syndrome was 4.58cm (sensitivity89.2%, specificity 71.2%) in men and 3.50cm (sensitivity61.2% specificity 80.8%) in women respectively. The odds ratio of the risk of metabolic syndrome was dramatically increased with the abdominal visceral fat thickness level over 6cm in men and 5cm in women. Conclusion : The visceral fat thickness using ultrasonography was significantly correlated with anthropometric indexes and risk factors of metabolic syndrome in both men and women. The cut-off value of visceral fat thickness leading to the increased risk of metabolic syndrome was 4.58cm in men and 3.50cm in women.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.589-596
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• 2016

The purpose of current study was to investigate the correlations of walking exercise program-induced abdominal visceral fat loss with metabolic syndrome risk factors in middle-aged women. The walking exercise program was provided at a frequency of 3 sessions, respectively, per week for a duration of 12 weeks. Then, the subjects were classified into either those whose abdominal visceral fat loss belonged to low 25 percentile (low 25% group, n=8) or those whose abdominal visceral fat loss belonged to high 25 percentile(high 25% group, n=8) based on the amount of abdominal visceral fat loss induced by the walking exercise. Metabolic syndrome risk factors(waist circumference, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, blood pressure) between groups according to the 12 weekly walking exercise program had no difference. In conclusion, the findings of the present study show that the walking exercise-induced total abdominal fat and visceral fat loss were positively relate to waist and blood pressure(SBP, DBP) and that the walking exercise-induced subcutaneous fat loss were positively relate to waist and blood pressure(SBP).

• Journal of mucopolysaccharidosis and rare diseases
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.44-48
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• 2015

Body fat distribution in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is characterized by reduce lean body mass (LBM), increased total body fat mass (FM), and lower percentage of visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Individuals with PWS seem to have a lower risk for insulin resistance with high levels of adiponectin, an anti-atherogenic adipocytokine that is decreased in visceral fat hypertrophy subjects compared to simple obese subjects, both in children and in adults. The mechanism of the reduction in visceral adiposity in PWS is still unclear. It might be related to qualitative intrinsic characteristics of adipocyte or novel genetic influences on the control of fat distribution. However, obesity remains a critical problem, and obesity status plays a crucial role in individual metabolic risk clustering and development of metabolic syndrome (Mets) in PWS children and adults. Long-term growth hormone (GH) treatment after cessation of skeletal growth improved body composition, with an increase in lean body mass and a reduction in total body fat and subcutaneous and visceral fat in PWS adults. Thus, the role of GH is important after childhood because it might attenuate obesity and Mets in PWS adult by adipocyte modification.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.279-284
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• 2005

Uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) plays a major role in thermogenesis, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity and metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of A-3826G polymorphism of UCP-1 gene on body fat distribution. Two hundred forty eight Korean female overweight subjects with BMI more than 25 kgfm2 participated in this study. The areas of abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat of all subjects were measured from computed tomography cross sectional pictures of the umbilical region. Subcutaneous fat areas of upper and lower thigh were also measured. Body composition was measured by bio-impedance analysis, and serum concentrations of biochemical parameters, such as glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol etc, were also measured. Genotype of UCP-1 was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method. The frequencies of UCP-1 genotypes were AA type; $27.8\%,\;AG\;type;\;51.2\%\;and\;GG\;type;\;21.0\%,$ and the frequency of G allele was 0.47. Body weight, BMI, WHR, SBP, DBP and body compositions were not significantly different by UCP-1 genotype. Abdominal visceral fat area was significantly higher in AG and GG type compared with AA type (p=0.009), but subcutaneous fat areas were not significantly different by UCP-1 genotype. Among biochemical parameters, LDL cholesterol level was significantly higher in GG type compared with AA and AG types (p=0.033). Among all subjects, 121 subjects finished 1 month weight loss program containing hypocaloric diet and exercise. The reduction of body weight and BMI were lower in GG type compared with AA/AG type even though statistical significances were not found (p > 0.05). These results suggest that UCP-1 genotype has a significant effect on visceral fat accumulation among Korean female overweight subjects with BMI more than $25\;kg/m^2$.