Korean J Fam Pract.  2023 Mar;13(1):23-30. 10.21215/kjfp.2023.13.1.23.

Relationship between Body Composition and Arterial Stiffness in Korean Adults

• Jang HJ
• Koh HM
• Jang JY
• Lee HJ
• Moon JS
• Ji JM
• Lee 1 A

• KMID: 2540642
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2023.13.1.23

Abstract

Background
This study is aimed to evaluate the relationship between sarcopenic obesity and atherosclerosis in Korean adults.
Methods
We studied 7,177 participants who visited the health promotion center of a university hospital between July 2019 and December 2020. We assessed the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) to analyze the relationships between skeletal muscle mass index and visceral fat area to atherosclerosis and atherosclerotic risk factors. The participants were divided into four groups according to appendicular skeletal mass index (ASMI) and visceral fat area (VFA): normal, sarcopenia, obesity, and sarcopenic obesity. The baPWV values were compared among the male and female separately using analysis of variance. Analysis of covariance was performed to correct for age, smoking, exercise status, and disease. The relationship between body composition index and baPWV was analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient.
Results
The mean baPWV of the four groups were significantly different for male and female (P<0.05), and the sarcopenic obesity group had a significantly higher baPWV (P<0.05). Among the male, the baPWV of the sarcopenic obesity group (1,487.2 cm/s) was highest after the adjustment for age, smoking status, exercise status, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia (P<0.05). In female however, after the adjustment for age, the baPWV of the obesity group was 1,293.1 cm/s, higher than that of the sarcopenic obesity group (1,279.6 cm/s). The tendency was maintained after the adjustment for lifestyle and disease.
Conclusion
This study showed that sarcopenic obesity, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and increased baPWV were independently correlated. Further studies are required to evaluate the effect of increased muscle mass on the prevention of atherosclerosis or cardiovascular events. Finally, we suggest using a bioimpedance method to diagnose sarcopenic obesity in the primary care setting.

Keyword

Sarcopenia; Obesity; Atherosclerosis; Cardiovascular Risk; Arterial Stiffness