Objective: The study aimed to investigate the correlation between intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) accumulation in lower extremities and the myocardial tissue-level characteristics detected by MRI in Chinese individuals with obesity.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was performed in 51 Chinese adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2), comprising 34 males and 17 females. All the patients underwent clinical assessment, anthropometric measurement, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and laboratory assays. MRI was applied to access the IMAT content in lower extremities and cardiac magnetic resonance was utilized for all participants. Myocardial tissue-level characteristic, such as extra-cellular volume fraction (ECV), was measured as indicator of myocardial fibrosis. The relationship between the IMAT content of the lower extremities and myocardial dysfunction was further assessed.

Results: Fifty-one subjects were included in this study, with 27 individuals classified as having normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and 24 individuals with impaired glucose regulation (IGR). We found that the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and triglycerides (TG) were higher in IGR group compared to those in NGT group (both P <0.05). Additionally, higher fat accumulation was noted in vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, adductor magnus, gracilis, and sartorius in patients with IGR as opposed to those with NGT (all P < 0.05). The ECV in IGR group was higher than that in NGT group. Multivariate regression analysis identified increased IMAT in sartorius may be an independent risk factor for myocardial fibrosis after adjustment for age, gender, BMI, NEFA (odds ratio: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.02-1.46, P = 0.028).

Conclusion: In Chinese subjects with obesity, an increase in adipose tissue accumulation of sartorius was associated with myocardial fibrosis. It may independently serve as one of possible risk factors for myocardial fibrosis in the obesity.

Disclosure

Z. Wang: None. J. Yue: None. H. Zhao: None. M. Jiang: None. J. Bu: None. J. Ma: None.

© 2024 by the American Diabetes Association
2024
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