Chen GC, Arthur R, Kamensky V, et al. - Findings demonstrate that a positive relation of upper-body fat with risk of lower-extremity arterial disease (LEAD) seems to be due to conventional risk factors, particularly insulin resistance, among U.S. postmenopausal women. Lower-body fat showed an inverse link with risk of LEAD beyond known risk factors.

• From the Women's Health Initiative, 155,925 postmenopausal women with anthropometric measures with no known LEAD at recruitment were included; a subset comprising 10,894 participants offered body composition data quantified by DXA.

• Post-multivariable adjustment and mutual adjustment, positive and inverse association of waist and hip circumferences with risk of LEAD, respectively, was evident.

• A higher and lower risk of LEAD, in the DXA subset, was noted in relation to higher trunk fat and higher leg fat, respectively.

• Diminution of the association for trunk fat was seen after further adjustment for diabetes, dyslipidemia, and blood pressure, yet the inverse association for leg fat persisted.