Key result
Fat-to-lean mass ratio outperforms BMI, explaining ~32% of heart rate variability.
Why the study?
BMI may not accurately predict cardiometabolic risk due to confounders such as age, gender, and lean mass, whereas fat-to-lean mass ratio may offer a more complete assessment.
Does fat-to-lean mass ratio better predict heart rate variability than body mass index in healthy adult males?
Cross-Sectional (n=88)
No
Does fat-to-lean mass ratio better predict heart rate variability than body mass index in healthy adult males?
Fat-to-lean mass (FTLM) ratio demonstrates a stronger association with heart rate variability parameters than BMI, suggesting it may be a superior metric for predicting cardiometabolic risk and autonomic alteration in healthy young adult males.
FTLM ratio may better reflect autonomic function than BMI in young men; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before clinical use.
BACKGROUND: Body mass index (BMI) may not accurately predict cardiometabolic risk due to confounders like age, gender, relatively high lean mass, and the “thin-fat phenotype” prevalent in south Asian populations. Fat-to-lean mass ratio (FTLM), which assesses the balance between fat and lean body mass, may provide a more complete assessment of cardiometabolic health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional analytical study investigated the relationship between FTLM ratio, BMI, and heart rate variability (HRV) in apparently healthy male adults. 88 participants recruited through convenience sampling underwent anthropometric assessments, bioimpedance body composition analysis, and HRV testing. Pearson’s or Spearman’s correlation and linear regression analyses were performed where appropriate to assess the relationship between FTLM ratio, BMI, and HRV. RESULTS: Both BMI and FTLM showed significant positive correlation with normalized LF power and LF-HF ratio and a negative correlation with normalized HF power, RMSSD, and pNN50. However, FTLM ratio showed a stronger association with HRV parameters than BMI and could explain a greater percentage of the variability in LF-HF ratio (32% compared to 18.4%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Assessment of both fat and lean mass, expressed as a ratio, is a better index of quantifying adiposity and predicting the influence of altered body composition on cardiometabolic health.
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Aggarwal et al. (2024) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy male adults (n=88). Fat-to-lean mass ratio (FTLM) vs. Body mass index (BMI) was evaluated on Variability in LF-HF ratio (heart rate variability) (R2 0.320, p=<0.001). Fat-to-lean mass ratio explained a greater percentage of the variability in LF-HF ratio than BMI (32% compared to 18.4%, P < 0.001).
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