High fat mass, low muscle mass, and arterial stiffness in a population of free-living healthy subjects: The “al passo con la tua salute” project

INTRODUCTION: A progressive decline in lean body mass and increase in fat mass occur with aging, and result in progressive weakness and impaired mobility; these features are altogether landmarks of the ageing frailty syndrome. High-fat mass and low muscle mass are both associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and are supposed to be risk factors for arterial stiffness. Little data analyzing the relationship between body composition and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) are currently available. The main objective of this study was to verify whether low muscle mass and/or high fat mass could be associated with arterial stiffness measured by CAVI. METHODS: Data are from the cross-sectional assessment of the “Al passo con la tua salute”, a clinical study aimed to promote physical function among free-living elderly subjects. After a screening interview and a clinical visit aimed to exclude ineligible persons, 52 volunteers were enrolled in the study. All underwent: clinical examination, physical performance assessment, an interview on lifestyle and dietary habits, and lastly, a blood sample collection after at least 8 hours of fasting. RESULTS: CAVI was statistically significantly higher in those participants in the highest tertile of distribution for fat mass compared to all other subjects (P = .03). In those participants in the lowest tertile of distribution of muscle mass, compared to all other, CAVI was also statistically significant higher (P = .01) independently of age, sex, body mass index, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: Low muscle mass and high fat mass were landmarks in the frailty model of aging; therefore, it is not inconsistent that both clinical conditions might share with the “aging vessel” a common pathway, probably mediated through signaling network deregulation and/or through alteration of the balance between energy availability and energy demand.