Related Experiment Videos
Adiposity contributes to differences in left ventricular structure and diastolic function with age in healthy men
Phillip E Gates1, Christopher L Gentile, Douglas R Seals
1Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA. phillip.gates@colorado.edu
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
|October 15, 2003
Summary
Increasing body fat contributes to age-related changes in the left ventricle (LV) structure and diastolic function in healthy men. Adiposity impacts LV remodeling and function, independent of age.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Gerontology
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Aging is associated with changes in cardiac structure and function.
- The role of adiposity in age-associated cardiac remodeling requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of adiposity on age-associated changes in left ventricle (LV) structure and diastolic function in healthy men.
Main Methods:
- Echocardiography to assess LV structure and diastolic function.
- Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for whole-body and regional adiposity assessment.
- Analysis of 113 healthy men aged 20-79 years.
Main Results:
- Aging correlated with increased adiposity, higher LV wall thickness to chamber radius ratio, LV concentric remodeling, and reduced diastolic function.
- Adiposity was significantly related to LV wall thickness, concentric morphology, and diastolic function.
- Controlling for adiposity metrics (total body fat, abdominal fat, abdominal/thigh fat ratio) attenuated the age-related associations with LV structure and diastolic function.
Conclusions:
- Increasing adiposity is a significant contributor to left ventricle remodeling and reduced diastolic function observed with aging in healthy men.
- Adiposity plays a crucial role in the cardiovascular adaptations to aging, independent of chronological age alone.