Leg and arm lean body mass positively associated with left ventricular internal resting dimensions in women (r ≥0.53, P ≤0.002) but not in men.
Cross-Sectional (n=70)
Does lean body mass associate with central and peripheral circulatory variables differently in healthy women compared to men?
Lean body mass independently associates with internal cardiac dimensions, ventricular relaxation, and systemic vascular resistance exclusively in women, highlighting a sex-specific cardiovascular physiological relationship.
Effect estimate: r ≥0.53
p-value: p=≤0.002
Recent evidence points toward a link between lean body mass (LBM) and cardiovascular capacity in women. This study aimed at determining the sex-specific relationship of LBM with central and peripheral circulatory variables in healthy women and men ( n =70) matched by age (60±12 years versus 58±15 years), physical activity, and cardiovascular risk factors. Regional (legs, arms, and trunk) and whole-body (total) body composition were assessed via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Cardiac structure, function, and central/peripheral hemodynamics were measured via transthoracic echocardiography and the volume-clamp method at rest and peak incremental exercise. Regression analyses determined sex-specific relationships between LBM and cardiovascular variables. Regional and total LBM were lower in women than men ( P <0.001), with little overlap between sexes. Leg and arm LBM positively associated with left ventricular (LV) internal resting dimensions in women ( r ≥0.53, P ≤0.002) but not men ( P ≥0.156). Leg, arm, and total LBM only associated with LV relaxation in women ( r ≥0.43, P ≤0.013). All LBM variables strongly associated with LV volumes at peak exercise in women ( r ≥0.54, P ≤0.001) but not men and negatively associated with total peripheral resistance at peak exercise in women ( r ≥0.43, P ≤0.023). Adjustment by adiposity-related or cardiovascular risk factors did not alter results. In conclusion, leg and arm LBM independently associate with internal cardiac dimensions, ventricular relaxation, and systemic vascular resistance in a sex-specific manner, with these relationships exclusively present in women.
Díaz-Cañestro et al. (Wed,) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy (n=70). Lean body mass (LBM) vs. Men (sex comparison) was evaluated on Left ventricular internal resting dimensions (r ≥0.53, p=≤0.002). Leg and arm lean body mass positively associated with left ventricular internal resting dimensions in women (r ≥0.53, P ≤0.002) but not in men.
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