Body composition and fat distribution have been differentially linked to various risk profiles and comorbidities in metabolic diseases such as overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). For example, visceral adipose tissue, located in and around internal organs, has been shown to be a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
Research led at Uppsala University looking at the link between body composition and an individual’s physiological response during exercise, as measured by cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), has recently been published.
In this study, body composition was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and an imaging analysis tool called Imiomics. This enabled associations between tissue volume and fat content with several CPET indices to be compared between all subjects.
The findings support the notion that in addition to the type of adipose tissue (e.g. subcutaneous vs. visceral), its location within the body can also influence its physiological effects. This also suggests that looking more closely at body composition and various adipose tissue depots could be important for understanding treatment effects in drug development clinical trials in metabolic diseases.
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Title: A detailed analysis of body composition in relation to cardiopulmonary exercise test indices
Authors: Karlsson P, Strand R, Kullberg J, Michaëlsson K, Ahlström H, Lind L, Malinovschi A
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