Intraperitoneal Fat Is Associated With Thickening of the Thoracic Aorta in Individuals at High Risk for Cardiovascular Events

Abstract

Increased intraperitoneal (IP) fat is associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) risk, but mechanisms for this increase in risk are not completely established. We performed this study to assess whether IP fat is associated with ascending aortic wall thickness (AOWT), a risk factor for CV events. Four hundred and forty‐one consecutive participants, aged 55–85 years, with risk factors for CV events underwent magnetic resonance measures of AOWT and abdominal fat (subcutaneous (SC) fat + IP fat). For the ascending aorta, mean wall thickness of the 4th quartile of the IP fat was higher relative to the 1st quartile (P ≤ 0.001). This difference persisted after accounting for SC fat (P ≤ 0.001), as well as age, gender, height, weight, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, low‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (LDL‐C), high‐density lipoprotein‐cholesterol (HDL‐C), and C‐reactive protein (CRP) (P < 0.03). Elevated IP fat volume is associated with an increase in ascending AOWT, a condition that promotes CV events in middle aged and elderly adults.

Abnormal Stress‐Related Measures of Arterial Stiffness in Middle‐Aged and Elderly Men and Women With Impaired Fasting Glucose at Risk for a First Episode of Symptomatic Heart Failure

“…Because abnormalities of fasting glucose often occur in the setting of obesity related to increases in abdominal or visceral fat, we examined whether the relationship between dobutamine‐induced change in aortic stiffness and fasting glucose was mediated by the presence of visceral fat. Previous studies have shown an independent relationship between increases in thoracic aortic wall thickness and visceral fat presumed secondary to the release of adipokines and increases in both systemic inflammation and insulin resistance . According to previously published techniques, we measured visceral fat within the abdomen and found that for those aged 55 to 85 years, abnormalities of fasting glucose remained associated with paradoxical increases in arterial stiffening after pharmacological stress, even after adjusting for the presence of visceral fat.…”

“…According to previously published techniques, assessments of body composition were determined from dark blood T1‐weighted single‐inversion recovery images of the abdomen . Visceral and subcutaneous fat were determined from the planimetered areas of high signal intensity on a T1‐weighted image in an axial slice at the level of the L4 to L5 vertebra …”

Adiposity Is Associated with Gender-Specific Reductions in Left Ventricular Myocardial Perfusion during Dobutamine Stress

“…Afterward, participants underwent a CMR exam at a field strength of 1.5T (Siemens Avanto scanner, Erlangen, Germany). During the CMR exam, images for the purpose of determining abdominal fat were acquired according to previously published techniques [ 9 – 11 ]. Dobutamine stress CMR was also performed on each participant.…”

“…Abdominal and pericardial fat volumes were determined according to previously published techniques [ 9 – 11 ]. Also according to previously published techniques [ 14 ], myocardial perfusion index (MPI) was calculated after first-pass perfusion with gadolinium contrast at peak dobutamine stress.…”

Associação entre adiposidade e aterosclerose sistêmica

“…A gordura visceral abdominal também foi associada à aterosclerose de artérias cerebrais e lesões cerebrais isquêmicas no estudo de Karcher et al 129 , em 2013, ao avaliar 25 sujeitos através da ressonância magnética. No entanto, a gordura subcutânea e a total (subcutânea e visceral) não apresentaram correlação.Apesar dos estudos apontarem correlação da gordura visceral abdominal com as artérias coronárias, carótidas e cerebrais, Chughtai et al130 , Introdução em 2011, ao analisar 441 sujeitos, avaliados através da ressonância magnética, demonstraram correlação, porém fraca, da gordura visceral abdominal com a espessura da parede da aorta ascendente. Por outro lado, em um outro estudo, a gordura visceral abdominal foi associada ao aumento na rigidez aórtica 131.…”