Relationship Between Trajectories of Trunk Fat Development in Emerging Adulthood and Cardiometabolic Risk at 36 Years of Age

Objective This study examined trajectories of trunk fat mass (FM) accrual during emerging adulthood of individuals categorized, at 36 years of age, as having higher compared with lower scores of (1) metabolic risk and (2) blood pressure risk. Methods Fifty-five individuals from the Saskatchewan Pediatric Bone Mineral Accrual Study (1991-2017) were assessed from adolescence (mean [SD], 11.5 [1.8] years) through emerging adulthood (26.2 [2.2] years) and into early adulthood (35.6 [2.2] years) (median 11 visits per individual). Sex-specific median splits of continuous standardized risk scores at 36 years of age were created. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry-assessed trunk FM trajectories were analyzed using multilevel random effects models. Results Higher risk scores of blood pressure risk and metabolic risk had significantly steeper trajectories of fat development (0.45 [0.11] and 0.44 [0.11] log g, respectively) than the lower risk scores. Dietary fat was not related (P > 0.05). Physical activity was negatively related (-0.04 [0.02] physical activity score) to trunk FM development during emerging adulthood. Conclusions Young adults with higher metabolic risk at 36 years of age had greater trunk FM development during both adolescence and emerging adulthood, supporting the need for intervention at both these critical periods of fat accrual.