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Modest fat gain affects blood vessel function

By jeremyc | August 20, 2010

Source: MedWire News

Gaining modest amounts of fat causes endothelial dysfunction in normal-weight adults even if their blood pressure does not change, a study suggests.

Endothelial function was only impaired with increases in visceral and not subcutaneous fat, and normal blood vessel function was recovered after the fat was lost again, the researchers report.

“Our study provides evidence that modest fat gain affects endothelial function, arguing against our cultural permissiveness toward weight gain or ‘going up a clothing size’ as a ‘normal’ phenomenon and strengthens the case for weight control as a means of attenuating cardiovascular risk,” say Virend Somers (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA) and colleagues.

The team recruited 43 healthy volunteers with a baseline body mass index of between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2 into their study.

After a weight maintenance period of 3 days, 35 individuals were randomly assigned to gain 3-4 kilograms of fat while eight others were asked to maintain their weight.

Those assigned to gain fat received 1000 kcal/day more than was required to maintain their weight for the first 8 weeks, after which they undertook a diet program to return to their original weight.

This group gained an average of 4.1 kg over the study period, and significantly increased their total, visceral and subcutaneous fat. However, blood pressure and overnight polysomnography remained unaltered after both fat gain and its loss.

Flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery significantly decreased in the fat-gaining group, from 9.1% to 7.8%, but returned to baseline levels after participants shed the gained weight.

It remained unchanged during the study among participants assigned to maintain their weight.

Visceral, but not subcutaneous, fat gains were significantly correlated with flow-mediated dilation.

Reporting in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the researchers conclude: “Endothelial dysfunction secondary to visceral fat gain may be an important mechanism linking central obesity to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.”

Topics: | Cardiovascular |

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