Impact of obesity on plasma B-type natriuretic peptide levels in Japanese community-based subjects

The plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration was recently shown to be inversely correlated with body mass index (BMI). However, very few attempts have been made to associate abdominal obesity and BNP in the Japanese general population. Here, we conducted a cross-sectional study, and examined 339 male and 429 female residents without heart disease in a rural Japanese community who received an annual health checkup in 2006. BNP was inversely associated with both BMI and abdominal circumference (AC) in the age-adjusted regression analysis (p 0.60 for BMI). These effects were more prominent in men than in women. Collectively, plasma BNP levels are inversely related with obesity, as measured by AC, in Japanese community-based subjects.