Body Fat, Especially Visceral Fat, Is Associated with Electrocardiographic Measures of Sympathetic Activation

摘要

Objective Obesity is associated with sympathetic activation, but the role of different fat depots is unclear. The association between body fat, specifically visceral fat, and electrocardiographic measures of sympathetic activation in a population with structurally normal hearts was investigated. Methods In this cross-sectional baseline analysis of the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study, body fat percentage was assessed with BIA and abdominal subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Mean heart rate (HR) and five other electrocardiographic measures of sympathetic activation were calculated. We performed multivariate linear regression analyses. Results In 868 participants with a mean age(SD) of 55(6) years, BMI of 26(4) kg/m