Modest decrease in severity of obesity in adolescence associates with low arterial stiffness

Abstract

<p>Background and aims</p><p>Childhood obesity is associated with cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF), subclinical cardiovascular phenotypes (carotid intima-media thickness, cIMT; pulse-wave velocity, PWV; and carotid elasticity), and adult cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. In youth with obesity (body mass index, BMI ≥95th centile), we investigated associations between changes in adiposity and CVRF in early adolescence and subclinical cardiovascular phenotypes in late adolescence.<br></p><p>Methods</p><p>Participants had adiposity measures (the severity of obesity in percentage >95th BMI-centile (%>95th BMI-centile)), waist circumference (WC), percentage total body fat (%BF) and CVRF (systolic blood pressure, SBP; glycoprotein acetyls, GlycA; and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) assessed in early (mean age 10.2 ± 3.5y) and late (15.7 ± 3.7y) adolescence. Subclinical cardiovascular phenotypes were assessed in late adolescence. Multivariable regression analysis was performed.<br></p><p>Results</p><p>Decreasing the %>95th BMI-centile was associated with carotid elasticity (0.945%/10 mmHg, <em>p</em> = 0.002) in females, and with PWV in males (−0.75 m/s, <em>p</em> < 0.001). Changes in all adiposity measures (per 1-unit increase) were associated with carotid elasticity (−0.020 to −0.063%/10 mmHg, <em>p</em> < 0.005), and PWV (0.011–0.045 m/s, <em>p</em> < 0.005). Changes in GlycA (per 50 <em>μ</em>mol-increase) were associated with elasticity (−0.162%/10 mmHg, <em>p</em> = 0.042), and changes in SBP (per 10 mmHg-increase) were associated with PWV (0.260 m/s, <em>p</em> < 0.001). Adjusted for change in BMI, the coefficient for GlycA was reduced by 46% and for SBP by 12%. Only male sex was associated with cIMT (+34 <em>μ</em>m, <em>p</em> = 0.006).<br></p><p>Conclusions</p><p>In youth with obesity, decreasing or maintaining the severity of obesity, and decreasing the levels of SBP and GlycA from early to late adolescence was associated with low arterial stiffness.</p>