China: Metabolically healthy obese (MHO) phenotype is dynamic and its change to metabolically healthy phenotype or stable MHO is linked to an increased risk of heart failure, states a recent study. The findings of the study, published in the journal Diabetes & Metabolism, suggest that maintaining metabolic health may be a clue for HF prevention.
There is limited evidence on the effects of MHO status on heart failure and ignores the dynamic changes of obesity phenotypes and metabolic health. To fill this knowledge gap, Shouling Wu, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan City, China, and colleagues aimed to examine the associations of metabolic health and its transition with HF across the categories of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in a prospective cohort study.
The study consisted of 93,288 Chinese adults who were free of cardiovascular disease, cancer, or HF at baseline (2006–2007). Metabolic health was defined as having no or only one abnormality in glucose, blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or triglyceride levels. The subjects were cross-classified at baseline by metabolic health and obesity (defined by BMI and WC criteria). The researchers considered the transitions in metabolic health status from 2006 to 2007 to 2010 to 2011.
Based on the study, the researchers found the following:
- During a mean ± standard deviation follow-up of 9.7 ± 1.5 years, 1,628 participants developed HF.
- Individuals with MHO had higher risk of HF than those with metabolically healthy normal weight (MHNW).
- Individuals with initial MHO who shifted to metabolically unhealthy phenotype during follow-up had a higher risk of HF compared with stable MHNW individuals.
- Even stable MHO individuals were at an increased risk of HF compared with stable MHNW individuals.
"The findings show that the MHO phenotype is dynamic and its transition to metabolically unhealthy phenotype or even stable MHO is linked to an increased HF risk," wrote the authors. "Maintaining metabolic health may provide a clue for preventing HF."
Reference:
"Transitions in metabolic health status over time and risk of heart failure: A prospective study," was published in the journal Diabetes & Metabolism.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabet.2021.101266
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