Adiposity contributes to differences in left ventricular structure and Diastolic function with age in healthy men

We sought to examine the influence of adiposity in age-associated changes in the left ventricle (LV) in a cohort of 113 healthy men, aged 20 - 79 yr, by measuring LV structure and diastolic function (echocardiography), whole body composition, and regional adiposity (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry). Aging was associated with increased levels of adiposity, greater wall thickness to chamber radius ratio, LV concentric remodeling, and reduced LV diastolic function ( all P < 0.05). Bivariate correlation analysis showed that mean LV wall thickness, a concentric LV morphology, and diastolic function were related to adiposity (r = -0.63 to 0.51; all P < 0.05). The relation between age and both mean LV wall thickness and concentric remodeling was reduced after controlling for percentage total body fat (by 38% and 54%, respectively), percentage abdominal fat ( by 42% and 62%), and the abdominal/thigh fat ratio (by 35% and 46%). The diastolic function-age relation was reduced after controlling for percentage total body fat ( by 35%), percentage abdominal fat ( by 39%), and the abdominal/ thigh fat ratio ( by 29%). There were no apparent differences in the contribution of percentage total body fat, percentage abdominal fat, or abdominal/ thigh fat to the association between age and LV structure/diastolic function. We conclude that increasing adiposity contributes to the LV remodeling/ reduced diastolic function that occurs with aging in healthy men.