2009 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES OF BODY FAT AND PULMONARY FUNCTION: A PILOT STUDY
Penelope S. Benedik1, Mara M. Baun3, Roman Shypailo2, Ellis Kenneth4, Akhil Bidani5, Janet Meininger3; 1Anesthesiology, Brazos Anesthesiology Associates, Bryan, TX; 2Body Composition Laboratory, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX; 3Nursing Systems, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX; 4Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; 5Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX
Background: Centrally distributed excess adipose tissue has been implicated in altering spirometry and lung volumes. However, it is not clear which specific measure of adipose tissue distribution, if any, is associated with losses in resting lung volume. This pilot study sought to quantify both overall adiposity and abdominal adiposity in overweight and in mildly to moderately obese subjects using anthropometric measures, dual X-ray absorptiometry, and computed tomography data, and to describe which measures of fat distribution are associated with altered pulmonary function. Methods: Lung volumes were measured with the helium dilution technique. Anthropometric measures (body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio), computed tomography at L4-L5 (visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue [VAT, SAT]), and dual energy Xray absorptiometry (total and trunk fat) were used to quantify adiposity. Results: Waist circumference (WC) was highly correlated with visceral adipose tissue (r = 0.936, p = 0.019, N = 5). Functional residual capacity (FRC) correlated with SAT (r = -0.903, p = 0.036, N = 5), BMI (r = -0.817, p = 0.047, N = 6), and WC (r = -0.755, p = 0.083, N = 6) but not VAT or WHR. SAT was strongly correlated with expiratory reserve volume (ERV) when measured in the sitting (r = -0.961, p = 0.009), supine (r = -0.963, p = 0.008) and 30â Fowler’s position (r = -0.895, p = 0.04, N = 5). ERV in the sitting, supine, and 30â Fowler’s position correlated with total body fat in grams (r = -0.984, p = 0.002; r = -0.910, p = 0.032; and r = -0.969, p = 0.007, respectively) and with trunk fat in grams (sitting r = -0.923, p = 0.025 and wedge r = -0.923, p = 0.026, N = 5.) Conclusions: Although extremely limited by sample size, these data suggest that in overweight and mildly obese subjects, both excess total body fat and excess subcutaneous fat impairs resting lung volumes. Sponsored Research - None