Ectopic adiposity is associated with autonomic risk factors and subclinical cardiovascular disease in young adults

Higher blood pressure and lower cardiac vagal activity in obese young individuals in supine and seated position

BACKGROUND

Obesity triggers alterations in hemodynamic and autonomic control. There are few studies that investigate the effects of overweight and obesity in early adulthood on hemodynamic and autonomic variables.

AIM

The aim of this study was to determine whether overweight and obesity in young individuals cause alterations in hemodynamic parameters and heart rate variability (HRV) in supine and seated position, and to correlate these variables with anthropometric features.

METHODS

Measurements were performed in 40 young untrained male study participants. The subjects were eutrophic (22.8 ± 0.3 kg/m2, N = 19), overweight (27.0 ± 0.5 kg/m2, N = 10), and obese (33.5 ± 0.8 kg/m2, N = 11). After 5 min in supine and seated position, the R-R intervals and blood pressure (BP) were recorded.

RESULTS

The systolic blood pressure were higher in overweight (supine, 122.9 ± 2.3 mmHg) and obese (supine, 123.9 ± 2.2; seated, 121.7 ± 2.3 mmHg) individuals compared to eutrophic individuals (supine, 111.8 ± 1.64; seated, 111.3 ± 1.8 mmHg) (p ⩽ 0.05). Obese subjects exhibited lower HRV (SD1, RMSSD, pNN50) compared to eutrophic individuals when seated. In obese subjects, the heart rate (HR) increased and HRV decreased (p ≤ 0.05) when seated versus supine position. The body mass, body mass index (BMI), and waist and abdominal circumferences correlated positively with BP (r = 0.40-0.64, p ≤ 0.05), while the BMI, waist circumference, BP, and HR were negatively correlated (r = -0.32 -0.62, p ≤ 0.05) with HRV (pNN50 and HF) in both body positions. BMI, waist circumference, BP and HR correlated negat- ively with additional HRV indices (SD1, SD2, RMSSD, TP, and LF) when seated.

CONCLUSIONS

Obese and overweight individuals presented higher SBP, and obese individuals had lower HRV and cardiac vagal activity, associated with anthropometric variables.

RELEVANCE FOR PATIENTS

The monitoring of HRV in obese subjects in seated position allows improved prognosis of metabolic consequences to cardiac autonomic control.

Imaging-based characterization of cardiometabolic phenotypes focusing on whole-body MRI--an approach to disease prevention and personalized treatment

Metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disorders pose a challenge to global healthcare systems. Too often, patients with metabolic syndrome are diagnosed in advanced disease stages, where disease-associated damage is irreversible and treatment options are limited. Thus, prevention plays an increasingly important role in the management of cardiometabolic disorders. The main challenge of prevention is to identify patient groups who are at risk for developing overt disease and who might benefit from early therapeutic intervention. In this context, imaging-based phenotyping can add significant information to clinical evaluations, revealing anatomical and physiological changes that reflect intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors. The purpose of this review article was to provide an overview of the current state of imaging-based phenotyping of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disorders and to discuss current and potential developments in this field.