Metabolic syndrome and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) are associated with obstructive and restrictive lung function impairment

Rationale: Metabolic syndrome (MetS), in particular increased central obesity is associated with cardiovascular events but also lung function (LF) impairment. The aim was to investigate whether LF impairment is associated with increased levels of visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Methods: Data was obtained from the Austrian LEAD Study, an observational, population-based cohort study. Adults aged 25-82 years with valid LF and metabolic data, including waist circumference (WC) for central obesity, and DXA Scans for VAT (n=9.157) were included in this analysis. LF was assessed by spirometry pre- and post-bronchodilation (BD). Abnormal LF was defined as FEV1 pre BD Results: Table 1 shows odds ratios of MetS components and VAT associated with impaired LF pattern. Increased VAT was associated with both, obstructive (OR 1.5 [1.3-1.8]) and restrictive (OR 2.4 [1.8-3.0]) LF pattern, while increased WC was not. Conclusion: VAT showed a consistent association with LF impairment independent of the type of impairment, in contrast to the different components of the MetS.