The Importance of Measuring Body Composition in Determining Cardiorespiratory Fitness Across the Adult Age Range
Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background Maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is essential for healthy aging and is linked to lower risk of age-related cardiovascular diseases and frailty. However, the relations of body composition metrics and CRF levels across the adult age range are poorly understood.
Hypothesis Healthy body composition, characterized by higher lean mass and lower visceral and total adiposity, is associated with greater oxygen (O2) uptake during exercise across age and sex.
Aims To investigate relations of components of body composition with O2 uptake measures during exercise and to evaluate how age and sex affect the associations.
Methods Framingham Heart Study participants (n=2742) underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for body composition assessment and maximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a cycle ergometer at the same exam cycle. Sex-stratified linear models between DXA and O2 uptake measures were adjusted for age, height, HDL/total cholesterol, smoking, systolic blood pressure, hypertension treatment, diabetes, and physical activity index.
Results The study sample had a mean age of 54±9 years, was 54% women, 9% non-white, and had a peak O2 uptake [VO2] 95±20% of predicted. Higher lean mass was associated with higher peak VO2 in ml/min in both men and women (β for standard deviation (SD) difference in log-transformed peak VO2 for a 1-SD higher value of lean mass was 0.49 in men and 0.57 in women, P<0.0001 for both). Conversely, measures of total and visceral fat mass were associated with higher peak VO2 in women (β= 0.14-0.15, P<0.0001) but not in men (P>0.05). The variance explained (adjusted R2) in peak VO2 was higher for lean mass than other DXA measures: lean mass, age, and height explained 45-47% of the variance in peak VO2 in men and women, while age, height, and other DXA measures explained ≤37%. Furthermore, individuals with higher observed lean mass than predicted based on age, sex, and BMI had higher observed peak VO2, consistent with the finding that higher lean mass is associated with higher peak VO2 across age and sex (Figure).
Conclusion Maintaining lean mass across the adult age range is linked with higher peak VO2, which may have important implications for promoting healthy aging.
Gajjar, Priya
( Boston University School of Medicine
, Boston
, Massachusetts
, United States
)
Ravichandran, Sandhiya
( Boston University School of Medicine
, Boston
, Massachusetts
, United States
)
Sahni, Shivani
( Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
, Boston
, Massachusetts
, United States
)
Lewis, Gregory
( Massachusetts General Hospital
, Boston
, Massachusetts
, United States
)
Kiel, Douglas
( Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
, Boston
, Massachusetts
, United States
)
Shah, Ravi
( Vanderbilt University Medical Center
, Nashville
, Tennessee
, United States
)
Nayor, Matthew
( Boston University School of Medicine
, Boston
, Massachusetts
, United States
)
Author Disclosures:
Priya Gajjar:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Sandhiya Ravichandran:No Answer
| Shivani Sahni:No Answer
| Gregory Lewis:No Answer
| Douglas Kiel:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Ravi Shah:DO have relevant financial relationships
;
Consultant:cytokinetics:Past (completed)
; Individual Stocks/Stock Options:Thryv Therapeutics:Active (exists now)
; Consultant:amgen:Past (completed)
| Matthew Nayor:DO have relevant financial relationships
;
Consultant:Cytokinetics:Past (completed)
