Presented by Karan Pradad

Background and aims: Overweight/obesity, specifically central obesity i.e., visceral adipose tissue (VAT), have been shown to contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD), atherosclerosis, and metabolic syndrome. Technological advances in health screenings have allowed for non-invasive measurements of arterial compliancy and vascular function, which are related to CVD risk and its’ associated co-morbidities. Interestingly, race differences exist regarding body composition/central fat distribution and vascular markers of cardiac risk. These markers include carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), central augmentation index (cAIx), and mean arterial pressure (MAP). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of body composition/central fat distribution on vascular markers of cardiac risk and to determine whether these relationships differed by race. Methods: A total of 144 healthy, premenopausal women with a mean age of 26 (White N=50, Black N=44, White Latina N=50) volunteered to complete a one-time evaluation of selected variables. These variables included body composition (total adiposity and muscle mass), central fat distribution (VAT volume and waist circumference), and vascular markers of cardiac risk (cfPWV, cAIx, and MAP). Multivariate linear regression tests were used to determine predictors of cardiac risk for the total sample and by race, separately. Self-reported data of 2-day nutrition habits and 7-day physical activity levels were included as covariates in the statistical analyses along with age. Results: For the total sample, total adiposity contributed to cfPWV (p<0.001), cAIx (p<0.01), and MAP (p<0.001). Moreover, waist circumference contributed to cfPWV (p<0.001) and MAP (p<0.001). In White women, VAT volume was the best predictor of cfPWV (p<0.05) and MAP (p<0.01). In Black women, total adiposity showed a trend toward predicting cfPWV (p=0.052). In White Latina women, total adiposity was the best predictor of cfPWV (p<0.001) and MAP (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our study supports the importance of examining total adiposity and central fat distribution as important predictors of vascular risk. Furthermore, these vascular markers of cardiac risk should be examined by race in addition to using general CVD risk guidelines in diverse populations.

Authors: Carolina Velasquez, Arlette Perry, Joseph F. Signorile, Kevin A. Jacobs, Jue Wang, Karan Prasad