Correlation of body composition with cardiac function and arterial compliance

1. The aim of the present study was to examine the correlation of precisely measured body composition with cardiac function and arterial compliance. 2. Body composition was determined in a total of 325 healthy volunteers (217 men, 108 women) with an average age of 48 years using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Multiple body components, such as water, fat, mineral, protein and intracellular and extracellular liquid, were included in our measurements. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) was evaluated to assess arterial stiffness, whereas cardiac function was examined by echocardiography. Levels of serum glucose, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine and uric acid were measured to evaluate the cardiovascular risk of the participants. 3. All parameters of body composition, especially body fat rate (BFR; body fat mass/weight, were closely correlated with arterial function as evaluated by PWV. However, plasma homocysteine, one of the independent risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, failed to exhibit any correlation with arterial compliance. Notably, the BFR was found to be associated with both systolic and diastolic cardiac function with high correlation coefficients. Individuals with normal systolic and diastolic function were characterized with lower PWV values for the aorta, as well as arm and inferior arteries, indicating better arterial compliance. Body fat mass and BFR were significantly lower in subjects with normal systolic function than those with defective arterial compliance. 4. In conclusion, our data provide new insights into the intrinsic correlation between body composition and cardiac function, as well as arterial compliance, implicating a potential application of BIA in the clinical prediction and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.