The longitudinal association between changes in lung function and changes in abdominal visceral obesity in Korean non-smokers

Obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, might be related to decreased lung function. We aimed to investigate whether obesity indices are associated with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in asymptomatic non-smokers through a longitudinal cohort study. The clinical records of 1,145 subjects (428 males, mean age 52.3 years) who underwent a comprehensive health evaluation, including spirometry and abdominal fat computed tomography, at least twice between 2007 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed and analysed. The mean follow-up period was 1,105 days (over 3.0 years). The baseline total adipose tissue (TAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were inversely associated with both FEV1 and FVC (P < 0.05). The longitudinal study found that increasing TAT and VAT were significantly related to decreasing FEV1 and FVC, whereas decreasing TAT and VAT were related to increasing FEV1 and FVC in both males and females (P < 0.05). The strength and consistency of these associations were clearer in males than in females. However, no significant relationship was found between changes in subcutaneous adipose tissue and changes in lung function. In Korean non-smokers, longitudinal changes in abdominal visceral fat were found to be inversely related to changes in lung function over a mean period of three years. These results suggest that decreasing abdominal visceral obesity could increase lung function despite ageing.