Serum osteocalcin is related to abdominal obesity in Korean obese and overweight men

BackgroundGrowing evidence suggests a link between body composition and serum osteocalcin. Here we examined such an association between serum osteocalcin and body composition in Korean obese men.MethodsEighty-six men, aged 20 to76 years, who visited the obesity clinic at the Division of Family Medicine, Severance hospital, Seoul, Korea were recruited for this study. Abdominal fat computed tomography (CT) scans were performed to measure the visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA).ResultsSerum osteocalcin levels were negatively correlated with age, VFA, and VFA/SFA ratio. In addition, serum osteocalcin levels were significantly decreased in obese and overweight subjects with visceral obesity (12.7 ± 3.2) compared to those without visceral obesity (18.6 ± 4.9). Multiple regression analysis showed that serum osteocalcin levels were associated with VFA in obese and overweight men after adjustment for age, insulin resistance, current smoking, alcohol consumption and adiposity indices.ConclusionOsteocalcin was inversely related to visceral obesity in Korean obese and overweight men. These results suggest cross-talk between bone and adipose tissue.