Abstract
ObjectiveTo determine whether differences in vascular reactivity existed among normal weight, overweight, and obese older men and women, and to examine the association between abdominal fat distribution and vascular reactivity.MethodsEighty-seven individuals who were 60 years of age or older (age = 69 ± 7 yrs; mean ± SD) were grouped into normal weight (BMI < 25; n = 30), overweight (BMI ≥ 25 and < 30; n = 28), or obese (BMI ≥ 30; n = 29) categories. Calf blood flow (BF) was assessed by venous occlusion strain-gauge plethysmography at rest and post-occlusive reactive hyperemia.ResultsPost-occlusive reactive hyperemia BF was lower (p = 0.038) in the obese group (5.55 ± 4.67 %/min) than in the normal weight group (8.34 ± 3.89 %/min). Additionally, change in BF from rest to post-occlusion in the obese group (1.93 ± 2.58 %/min) was lower (p = 0.001) than in the normal weight group (5.21 ± 3.59 %/min), as well as the percentage change (75 ± 98 % vs. 202 ± 190 %, p = 0.006, respectively). After adjusting for age, prevalence in hypertension and calf skinfold thickness, change in BF values remained lower (p < 0.05) in obese subjects compared to the normal weight subjects. Lastly, the absolute and percentage change in BF were significantly related to BMI (r = -0.44, p < 0.001, and r = -0.37, p < 0.001, respectively) and to waist circumference (r = -0.36, p = 0.001, and r = -0.32, p = 0.002).ConclusionObesity and abdominal adiposity impair vascular reactivity in older men and women, and these deleterious effects on vascular reactivity are independent of conventional risk factors.
Highlights
Obesity affects 130 million adults in the United States, and is a major medical concern due to the associated economic and health consequences
Because the vasodilation occurring after a bout of severe hypoxia is dependent on endothelial cell function [10], endothelial function can be assessed by measuring the change in blood flow after vascular occlusion [11]
We previously demonstrated that the test-retest intraclass reliability coefficient was R = 0.86 for calf blood flow [20]
Summary
Obesity affects 130 million adults in the United States, and is a major medical concern due to the associated economic and health consequences. In addition to the effect that obesity exerts on the endothelium, it is associated with hypertension [12], diabetes [13,14], and cardiovascular disease [14,15,16]. Because these co-morbid conditions impair endothelial function and vascular reactivity [6], it is unclear whether obesity has a direct influence on endothelial function, or whether the co-morbid conditions are the primary mediators
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