Association between air flow limitation and body composition in young adults

Abstract

Background Body composition (BC) influences respiratory system mechanics, provoking air flow limitation (AFL). The objective of this study was to determine the relationship of AFL in small- and medium-caliber airways with BC in young adults. Methods Eighty-three individuals were recruited (40 men and 43 women). To determine AFL, the following measurements were taken: forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% (FEF25–75%), airway resistance (Raw), and specific airway resistance (sRaw). The measured BC variables were body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (%BF), and fat-free mass (FFM). Binary logistical regression analysis was used to estimate the association between the AFL variables and %BF, BMI, and %FFM, adjusting for weight and gender. Results Among men, a relationship was observed between Raw and %BF (r = 0.728; p < 0.0001) and sRaw and BMI (r = 0.617; p < 0.0001). Among women, significant relationships were reported between Raw and BMI (r = 0.615; p < 0.0001) and sRaw and BMI (r = 0.556; p < 0.0001). Among participants with a BMI over 30 kg/m2, higher risks of increased Raw (OR = 26.8; p = 0.009) and sRaw (OR = 9.3; p = 0.002) were observed. Furthermore, higher %BF was associated with greater risks for increased Raw (OR = 14.04; p = 0.030) and sRaw (OR = 4.14; p = 0.028). In contrast, increased %FFM (OR = 0.14; p = 0.025) was a protective factor for lung function. Conclusion Increased %BF is associated with increased AFL in small-caliber airways. Furthermore, increased %FFM is associated with decreased risk for Raw and sRaw in women. Therefore, evidence indicates that increased %FFM is a protective factor for adequate lung function.

Combined Fat Mass and Fat-free Mass Indices and Lung Function Among Japanese Population: The Tohoku Medical Megabank Community-based Cohort Study

“…Many studies have examined the association between body composition and lung function. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] The findings of a study on 7,801 Taiwanese individuals showed that BF% was inversely associated with FEV1 and FVC, even among patients with normal weight determined by BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m). 15 In a study of 1,746 Brazilian participants, FM was reportedly inversely associated with FEV1 and FVC.…”

“…Many previous studies have examined the association between body composition and lung function and found that FM was linearly and inversely associated with lung function [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] whereas FFM was linearly and positively associated with lung function. [10][11][12][13]17,[19][20][21] These findings suggest that FM and FFM may be linearly associated with lung function.…”

“…Many previous studies have examined the association between body composition and lung function and found that FM was linearly and inversely associated with lung function [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] whereas FFM was linearly and positively associated with lung function. [10][11][12][13]17,[19][20][21] These findings suggest that FM and FFM may be linearly associated with lung function. Although many previous studies have used absolute FM, FFM, and percentage of body fat (BF%) as indicators of body composition, 10,12,[14][15][16][17][18]20,21 absolute FM and FFM are correlated with height.…”

“…[10][11][12][13]17,[19][20][21] These findings suggest that FM and FFM may be linearly associated with lung function. Although many previous studies have used absolute FM, FFM, and percentage of body fat (BF%) as indicators of body composition, 10,12,[14][15][16][17][18]20,21 absolute FM and FFM are correlated with height.…”

Reference equations for oscillometry and their differences among populations: a systematic scoping review

“…Although these reports did not describe model-fitting criteria in detail, it can be assumed that weight was an insignificant variable in equations and was omitted to achieve a more stable model. However, several studies have shown that body weight significantly influences the physiology of the airways [ 38 – 41 ] and correlates with increased airway resistance [ 42 , 43 ]. The same was observed for age because this was either deleted from equations [ 17 , 24 ] or was discriminately used for resistance or reactance [ 18 , 22 ] or a selective sex [ 19 ].…”