Abstract
Little is known about the reduction in lean body mass (LBM) and its health consequences in overweight and in obesity, especially in males. Therefore, we aimed to assess the prevalence of low LBM in treatment-seeking adult males with overweight and obesity and the association with cardiometabolic diseases, i.e., type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and dyslipidemia. A body composition assessment was conducted by a bio-impedance analyzer (InBody 170) among a total of 110 males, of whom 72 were overweight and obese and were referred to the Outpatient Clinic in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Beirut Arab University (BAU) in Lebanon, and 38 were normal-weight participants of similar ages. The participants with overweight and obesity were then categorized as being with or without low LBM. Of the sample of 72 participants, 50 (69.4%) met the criteria for reduced LBM and displayed a significantly higher prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases (i.e., type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and dyslipidemia) than those with normal LBM (36.0% vs. 9.1%; p = 0.019). Logistic regression analysis showed that low LBM increases the odds of having cardiometabolic diseases by nearly 550% (odds ratio (OR) = 5.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.31–26.39, p < 0.05) after adjusting for total fat and central adiposity. Treatment-seeking adult males with overweight and obesity displayed a great prevalence of reduced LBM, which seems to be strongly associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Highlights
Extensive research has been conducted on body composition patterns in obesity [1]; most studies have focused on fat body mass and there is a lack of data on the reduction in lean body mass (LBM) as a primary outcome and its consequences for health among this population, especially in males [2]
According to the three definitions from low LBM, in the overweight and obesity groups, the prevalence varied between 23.6% and 69.4%
The present study aimed to provide preliminary data through a pilot study on the prevalence of low LBM in adult males with overweight and obesity and to assess any potential association between low LBM with cardiometabolic diseases, namely, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and dyslipidemia, in this population
Summary
Extensive research has been conducted on body composition patterns in obesity [1]; most studies have focused on fat body mass and there is a lack of data on the reduction in lean body mass (LBM) as a primary outcome and its consequences for health among this population, especially in males [2] This is an important limitation in the field, since, in the general population, low LBM has been shown to be associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events [3], diabetes [4], metabolic syndrome [5], longer hospitalization [6], and mortality [7,8]. Public Health 2018, 15, 2754; doi:10.3390/ijerph15122754 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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