Central arterial stiffness and diastolic dysfunction are associated with insulin resistance and abdominal obesity in young women but polycystic ovary syndrome does not confer additional risk

Abstract

This study received no specific grant support from any funding body. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

In women with PCOS, waist circumference is a better surrogate of glucose and lipid metabolism than disease status per se

“…This also highlights the limited value of BMI, the most commonly used anthropometric measure in clinical practice, in stratifying cardiovascular risk in this patient population. Our findings are supported by another study showing that central arterial stiffness and diastolic dysfunction do not differ between young PCOS and control women but are rather associated with insulin resistance and central adiposity …”

“…Our findings are supported by another study showing that central arterial stiffness and diastolic dysfunction do not differ between young PCOS and control women but are rather associated with insulin resistance and central adiposity. 12 In the general population, indices of abdominal and visceral adiposity correlate better than body mass index with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 31,32 While many previous studies have compared cardiometabolic variables between women of similar BMI with and without PCOS, to our knowledge this is the first to address whether differences exist after accounting for WC.…”

“…While there is evidence of increased subclinical atherosclerosis and abnormalities in cardiac morphology and function in women with PCOS, whether this translates into an increased number of cardiovascular events and higher mortality remains contentious. In addition, nonobese women with PCOS have been shown to have normal cardiovascular function . Application of blanket guidelines to all women with PCOS potentially leads to unnecessary anxiety and over‐investigation in these low‐risk women.…”

“…In addition, nonobese women with PCOS have been shown to have normal cardiovascular function. 11,12 Application of blanket guidelines to all women with PCOS potentially leads to unnecessary anxiety and over-investigation in these low-risk women. In contrast, there are many women with ovulatory menstrual cycles and without clinical or biochemical evidence of hyperandrogenism, who are at significant risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease due to obesity and would benefit from appropriate interventions to recognize and improve risk factors.…”

Association of traditional and novel measures of central obesity with cognitive performance in older multi‐ethnic Asians with type 2 diabetes

“…Adipose tissue, besides being an energy storage depot, is recognized to be a metabolically important endocrine tissue that can be broadly categorized into subcutaneous adipose tissue and visceral adipose tissue. The visceral fat has been commonly linked to unfavourable metabolic and vascular outcomes . Compared with subcutaneous fat, the visceral compartment possesses a higher inflammatory load, expressing increased levels of genes including tumour necrosis factor‐α, macrophage inflammatory protein, interleukin‐6, interleukin‐8 and complement C3 .…”