The objective of this study was to investigate the racial/ethnic differences in the association between body fat distribution and lipid profiles in premenopausal women. The study sample included 708 healthy women (204 Blacks, 247 Whites and 257 Hispanics), aged 16-33 years. Results showed that total body fat distribution variables and trunk fat were positively associated with total cholestrol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. There were negative relationships between peripheral fat variables and lipid variables in all 3 racial groups. However, the association of body fat distribution variables with the lipid profile was weaker in black women than their white and Hispanic counterparts. These results indicated that race/ethnicity significantly modifies the relationship between body fat distribution and lipid levels. Further research must be pursued to better understand these ethnic differences in order to develop more specific approaches when targeting cardiovascular disease prevention.
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