Individual and joint associations of obesity and metabolic health parameters on arterial stiffness: Evidence from the UK Biobank
Authors' conclusion
Excess adiposity and metabolic abnormalities are independently associated with increased arterial stiffness to a similar degree, suggesting that metabolically healthy individuals with overweight and obesity are not benign groups. This reinforces the need to prevent excess adiposity and consider primary prevention strategies even before metabolic abnormalities emerge.
Study context
- Population
- UK Biobank participants with BMI and arterial stiffness index (ASI) recorded 2006–2010, free from CVD and not underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m²)
- Participants
- 162,590 participants
- Exposure
- BMI and metabolic health combinations vs normal BMI without metabolic abnormality
- Outcome
- Severity of ASI
Methodological detailsUK Biobank, multivariate-adjusted linear regression
- UK Biobank
- Multivariate-adjusted linear regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
ASI (adjusted β-coefficient)
- Normal BMI with metabolic abnormalities
- adjusted β-coefficient 0.35 (95% CI 0.30–0.40); P < 0.001 for each versus reference group
- Overweight without metabolic abnormalities
- adjusted β-coefficient 0.32 (95% CI 0.26–0.37); P < 0.001 for each versus reference group
- Obesity, no metabolic abnormality
- adjusted β-coefficient 0.65 (95% CI 0.57–0.74); P < 0.001 for each versus reference group
- Overweight with metabolic abnormalities
- adjusted β-coefficient 0.80 (95% CI 0.75–0.84); P < 0.001 for each versus reference group
- Obesity with metabolic abnormalities
- adjusted β-coefficient 1.07 (95% CI 1.02–1.12); P < 0.001 for each versus reference group
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Prevalence of overweight and obesity
- Overweight
- 42.5%
- Obese
- 24.4%
- ≥1 metabolic abnormality within normal BMI
- 50.7%
Sensitivity analysis
- Higher ASI with increasing number of metabolic abnormalities within BMI categories and with abdominal obesity within metabolic categories
Original publication
Individual and joint associations of obesity and metabolic health parameters on arterial stiffness: Evidence from the UK Biobank. Diabetes Obes Metab. Published 25 November 2024. doi:10.
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