of visceral adiposity to cardiovascular disease risk factors in black and white teens. Obesity. 2007;15:1029 -1035. Objective: We tested the hypothesis that visceral adiposity, compared with general adiposity, would explain more of the variance in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Research Method and Procedures: Subjects were 464 adolescents (238 black and 205 girls). Adiposity measures included visceral adipose tissue (VAT; magnetic resonance imaging), percent body fat (%BF; DXA), BMI, and waist girth (anthropometry). CVD risk factors were fasting insulin, fibrinogen, total to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio, triglycerides (TGs), systolic blood pressure, and left ventricular mass indexed to height 2.7 . Results: After adjustment for age, race, and sex, all adiposity indices explained significant proportions of the variance in all of the CVD risk factors; %BF tended to explain more variance than VAT. Regression models that included both %BF and VAT found that both indices explained independent proportions of the variance only for total to highdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio. For TGs, the model that included both %BF and VAT found that only VAT was significant. For systolic blood pressure and left ventricular mass indexed to height 2.7 , anthropometric measures explained more of the variance than VAT and %BF. Discussion: The hypothesis that visceral adiposity would explain more variance in CVD risk than general adiposity was not supported in this relatively large sample of black and white adolescents. Only for TGs did it seem that VAT was more influential than %BF. Perhaps the deleterious effect of visceral adiposity becomes greater later in life as it increases in proportion to general adiposity.

Background: Excess body fat accumulation may begin in youth and is linked with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Examination of physical activity (PA) and diet behaviours predictive of adiposity may help target efforts to reduce chronic disease risk. Objective: We hypothesized that energy intake (EI) from fat, vigorous PA (VPA), and their interaction would predict body fat percentage (%BF) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in youth and that sedentary behaviours and intake of dairy, fruit, vegetable and whole grain foods would be related to adiposity. Design: A cross-sectional, observational study of reported PA and diet behaviours and objective adiposity measures. Subjects: Six-hundred sixty-one healthy black and white adolescents aged 14-18 years. Measurements: Diet by 24-h recalls using Nutrition Data Systems for Research (Minneapolis, MN, USA), VPA by previous day physical activity recalls (PAR), and %BF with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. VAT by magnetic resonance imaging for 434 subjects. Results: Reported EI and VPA were positively correlated with each other and were negative predictors of %BF. Time spent watching television or movies and %EI from protein were positive predictors of %BF. Adjusted for EI, none of the independent variables predictive of %BF retained their significance. %BF and VAT were highly correlated (r ¼ 0.73, Po0.0001). EI was the sole and negative predictor of VAT. Conclusions: Higher energy 'throughput', not energy restriction, characterize leaner youths. Youths should be advised to engage in VPA so that they can eat sufficient calories to obtain the nutrients required for optimal health while remaining lean.

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