Key result
Higher baseline plasma FGF21 levels were significantly associated with higher pericardial fat volume at baseline (β = 0.055), but tended to be associated with modestly less pericardial fat accumulation over time.
Why the study?
Previous small studies reported an association between circulating FGF21 levels and pericardial fat volume in post-menopausal women and high CVD risk patients, but the relationship in individuals free of clinical CVD remained to be investigated.
Does baseline plasma FGF21 level correlate with pericardial fat volume and its accumulation over time in adults free of clinical CVD?
Cohort (n=5,765)
Yes
Does baseline plasma FGF21 level correlate with pericardial fat volume and its accumulation over time in adults free of clinical CVD?
Effect estimate: β = 0.055
p-value: p=<0.001
Higher baseline plasma FGF21 levels are independently associated with greater pericardial fat volume but modestly less pericardial fat accumulation over time in adults without clinical CVD.
Extends FGF21-pericardial fat association to larger multi-ethnic cohort free of CVD; hypothesis-generating, no practice implications yet.
Previous small studies have reported an association between circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels and pericardial fat volume in post-menopausal women and high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk patients. In this study, we investigated the relationship of FGF21 levels with pericardial fat volume in participants free of clinical CVD at baseline. We analysed data from 5765 men and women from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) with both pericardial fat volume and plasma FGF21 levels measured at baseline. 4746 participants had pericardial fat volume measured in at least one follow-up exam. After adjusting for confounding factors, ln-transformed FGF21 levels were positively associated with pericardial fat volume at baseline (β = 0.055, p < 0.001). When assessing change in pericardial fat volume over a mean duration of 3.0 years using a linear mixed-effects model, higher baseline FGF21 levels were associated with higher pericardial fat volume at baseline (2.381 cm 3 larger in pericardial fat volume per one SD increase in ln-transformed FGF21 levels), but less pericardial fat accumulation over time (0.191 cm 3 /year lower per one SD increase in ln-transformed FGF21 levels). Cross-sectionally, higher plasma FGF21 levels were significantly associated with higher pericardial fat volume, independent of traditional CVD risk factors and inflammatory markers. However, higher FGF21 levels tended to be associated with less pericardial fat accumulation over time. Nevertheless, such change in pericardial fat volume is very modest and could be due to measurement error. Further studies are needed to elucidate the longitudinal relationship of baseline FGF21 levels with pericardial fat accumulation.
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Magdas et al. (2019) conducted a cohort in Free of clinical cardiovascular disease (n=5,765). Circulating fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) levels vs. Lower FGF21 levels was evaluated on Pericardial fat volume at baseline (β = 0.055, p=<0.001). Higher baseline plasma FGF21 levels were significantly associated with higher pericardial fat volume at baseline (β = 0.055), but tended to be associated with modestly less pericardial fat accumulation over time.
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