Why the study?
Changes in body composition and volume status generated by SGLT-2 inhibitor-induced body weight reduction have not been clearly studied.
Do SGLT-2 inhibitors improve body composition and fluid status in patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure undergoing cardiac rehabilitation?
Cohort (n=171)
No
Do SGLT-2 inhibitors improve body composition and fluid status in patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure undergoing cardiac rehabilitation?
SGLT-2 inhibitors induce modest weight loss primarily through reductions in extracellular water, body fat mass, and visceral fat without loss of lean muscle mass in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation.
May support fluid and weight management in cardiac rehab without lean mass loss; hypothesis-generating and requires randomized confirmation.
Background and Objectives: Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors have emerged as integral therapeutic tools in the management of patients with cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic (CKM) syndrome. In addition to their well-documented effects on lowering glucose levels and cardiovascular- and reno-protective actions, SGLT-2 inhibitors, through a reduction in body weight (BW), generate changes in the body composition and volume status that have not been clearly studied. Materials and Methods: This retrospective, observational longitudinal cohort, single-center study analyzed and compared body composition and fluid status measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) from weeks 0 to 12 after the initiation of the cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program for coronary artery disease and heart failure in 59 patients who started treatment with SGLT-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2iG) and 112 patients without SGLT-2 inhibitors (non-SGLT-2iG). Results: Changes between the baseline and week 12 in the SGLT-2iG and non-SGLT-2iG were −0.3 L (p = 0.003) and −0.03 L (p = 0.82) in extracellular water (ECW) (p = 0.05), −0.39 L (p < 0.001) and −0.14 L (p = 0.33) in intracellular water (ICW) (p = 0.12), −0.69 (p < 0.001) and −0.16 (p = 0.52) in total body water (TBW) (p = 0.08), and −0.01 (p = 0.37) and −0.001 (p = 0.25) in the ECW/TBW ratio, respectively. After 3 months of exercise therapy in the CR program, patients in the SGLT-2iG showed a greater decrease than the non-SGLT-2iG in weight (−1.34 kg, p < 0.001 vs. −0.99, p = 0.02), body mass index (BMI) (−0.45 kg/m2, p < 0.001 vs. −0.38, p = 0.004), arm circumference (−0.57 cm, p = 0.008 vs. −0.12 cm, p = 0.21), waist circumference (−1.5 cm, p = 0.04 vs. −0.11 cm, p = 0.83), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (−8.9 mmHg, p = 0.049 vs. −4.19, p = 0.08), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (−5.15, p = 0.03 vs. −2.85, p = 0.01). The bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) revealed a significant decrease in body fat mass (BFM) and visceral fat area, without a loss of lean body mass (LBM) or skeletal muscle mass in the SGLT-2iG. Conclusions: SGLT-2 inhibitors exert beneficial effects on body compartments and volume status. Although they induce modest weight loss, this appears to be mainly directed at ECW, BFM, and visceral fat, without a loss of LBM nor skeletal muscle mass, which could contribute to the observed CKM benefits.
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Flor et al. (2024) conducted a cohort in Coronary artery disease and heart failure (n=171). SGLT-2 inhibitors vs. No SGLT-2 inhibitors was evaluated on Change in extracellular water (ECW) (p=0.05).
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