Key result
Obesity is linked to lower heart rate variability, higher inflammatory cytokines, and impaired glycemic control.
Why the study?
Obesity is a chronic state of low-grade inflammation and metabolic disturbance with diminished heart rate variability (HRV), prompting a synthesis of evidence linking HRV to IL-6, TNF-α, and HbA1c.
Heart rate variability serves as a promising non-invasive biomarker to identify early autonomic, inflammatory, and metabolic derangements in individuals with obesity and to monitor responses to lifestyle interventions.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports HRV as potential biomarker in obesity; leaves open prospective trials before clinical adoption.
Obesity represents a chronic state of low-grade inflammation and metabolic disturbance that predisposes to cardiovascular disease. Heart rate variability (HRV), a non-invasive measure of autonomic function, is diminished in obesity and linked to adverse outcomes. This narrative review synthesises evidence on the associations between HRV and the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), as well as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), in individuals with obesity. A growing body of research suggests that obesity is characterized by reduced vagally mediated HRV, elevated circulating IL-6 and TNF-α, and impaired glycemic control. These components maybe mechanistically connected through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, insulin resistance, and sympathetic overactivity, forming a self-perpetuating loop that accelerates cardiometabolic risk. The review underscores the potential of HRV as a non-invasive biomarker for identifying early autonomic and inflammatory derangements in obesity and for monitoring responses to lifestyle interventions.
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Yograj et al. (2026) conducted a review in Obesity. Obesity (autonomic-inflammatory-metabolic axis) vs. Normal-weight controls was evaluated on Associations between heart rate variability (HRV), inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α), and glycemic control (HbA1c). Obesity is consistently associated with reduced vagally mediated heart rate variability, elevated circulating IL-6 and TNF-α, and impaired glycemic control (HbA1c) in a self-perpetuating cycle.
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