Subcutaneous and Visceral Fat Indices and Their Relationship with the Complex of Endogenous and Exogenous Factors in the Adult Population of the Altai Republic

Abstract The aim of the study was to analyze the association of a complex of anthropogenetic and environmental factors with the subcutaneous and visceral fat indices measured by local configurations of bioimpedance analysis in ethnic Altaians. This study involved 110 relatively healthy men (62) and women (48), representatives of the indigenous peoples of Altai, aged from 17 to 35 years. The study program included anthropometric examination, determination of body composition using bioimpedance (ABC-02 Medass analyzer), measurement of local impedances in the abdominal region, and identification of genotypes by polymorphic systems of uncoupling protein genes UCP1–3 . Sexual dimorphism was shown for most of the studied morphological and functional traits. Subcutaneous and visceral fat indices were found to be highly correlated with the index of central obesity and body fat percentage. Endogenous traits, sex, age, and the number of “thrifty” alleles of the genes of uncoupling proteins 1–3 did not have a significant effect on the subcutaneous and visceral fat indices in the examined group of young people (17–35 years old). Informative feature selection using random forests and the Boruta algorithm revealed that the leading predictors associated with abdominal topography of fat deposition in the examined group are WHtR (Waist-to-height ratio) and BFP (body fat percentage).