Multiethnic Cohort Adiposity Phenotype Study (MEC-APS)

A total of 1,861 healthy men and postmenopausal women aged 60-77 years with body mass indexes (BMIs) of 17.1-46.2 kg/m2 were enrolled into the study. Stratified sampling was conducted based on sex, race/ethnicity, and six BMI categories (18.5-21.9, 22-24.9, 25-26.9, 27-29.9, 30-34.9, and 35-40 kg/m2) to balance the sample size across the wide range of BMI and optimize adjustment for total adiposity in populations with different BMI distributions. Study participants underwent body composition assessment, in person interview, blood collection, and completed a self-administered questionnaire. A genome-wide association study of obesity phenotypes was conducted among five racial/ethnic groups of the Multiethnic Cohort Study.]]> We excluded 21 subjects with invalid DXA scans due to unreported implants, 46 with invalid MRI scans due to motion artifacts (n=38) or presence of intra-visceral masses (n=8), 15 with low genotyping call rates (call rate <95%).]]>