Abstract
We aimed to analyze the relationship of the distribution of body fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) in the limbs and trunk with the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVD-RF). In total, 13,032 adults were selected from the KNHANES (2008–2011). The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) according to the arm-to-leg ratio and limbs-to-trunk ratio for FM and FFM was compared, respectively. The higher the arm-to-leg FM ratio, the higher the prevalence of CVD-RF (DM-male-OR 7.04, 95% CI 4.22–11.74; DM-female-OR 10.57, 95% CI 5.80–19.26; MetS-male-OR 4.47, 95% CI 3.41- 5.86; MetS-female-OR 8.73, 95% CI 6.38–11.95). The higher the limbs-to-trunk FM ratio (DM-male-OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.07–0.21; DM-female-OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.06–0.23; MetS-male-OR 0.06, 95% CI 0.04–0.08; MetS-female-OR 0.02, 95% CI 0.01–0.04), the higher the limbs-to-trunk FFM ratio (DM-male-OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.11–0.31; DM-female-OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.30–0.70; MetS-male-OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.31–0.50; MetS-female-OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.50–0.78), and the higher the arm-to-leg FFM ratio (MetS-male-OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.59–0.94; MetS-female-OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.58–0.92), the lower the prevalence of CVD-RF. The higher the FM of the legs compared to the arms, FFM of the arms compared to the legs, and FM or FFM of the limbs compared to the trunk, the lower the prevalence of CVD-RF.
Highlights
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing worldwide[1,2]
In regional fat-free mass (FFM)-related studies, one study of diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with obesity reported that relatively preserved leg muscle mass is associated with improved MetS parameters such as body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference (WC), and HDL-C17
WC, BMI, TEI, and WIBW were higher in men than in women; proportion of current smokers, alcohol drinkers (≥ once/month), participants with a high Physical activity (PA) level, highly educated participants, previous diagnosis of HTN or DM by doctors and MetS were higher in men than in women
Summary
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing worldwide[1,2]. Sarcopenia, or low muscle mass, is associated with reduced physical activity and energy imbalance and causes MetS by reducing the utilization of glucose and free fatty acid[8]. Studies related to increased FM or sarcopenic obesity mainly analyzed the relationship between total FM or total fat-free mass (FFM) and the risk of C VD10,11. In regional FFM-related studies, one study of DM patients with obesity reported that relatively preserved leg muscle mass is associated with improved MetS parameters such as body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference (WC), and HDL-C17. This study aimed to analyze the association between FM or FFM ratios of the arms, legs, and trunk and the prevalence of CVD-RF including hypertension (HTN), DM, dyslipidemia (DL), and MetS using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data
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