Skeletal muscle area and density are associated with lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol levels: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

Background-Loss of muscle mass with age may be a key player in metabolic dysregulation.Objective-To examine associations between abdominal muscle area and density with lipids and lipoproteins.Methods-1868 adults completed health history and physical activity questionnaires, provided venous blood samples for lipids and inflammatory biomarkers, and underwent computed tomography to quantify body composition. Associations between muscle area and density with multiple lipid measures were assessed with multivariable linear and logistic regression.Results-The mean age and body mass index of participants was 65 years and 28 kg•m 2 , respectively, and 50% were female. After adjustment for demographics, cardiovascular disease risk factors, lipid-lowering medications, physical activity, sedentary behavior, inflammatory biomarkers and central obesity, a 1-standard deviation (SD) increase in total abdominal, stability, and locomotor muscle areas were associated with a 13%, 11%, and 8% lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, respectively (p<0.05). With similar adjustment, a 1-SD increase in total abdominal and stability muscle area was associated with a 13% and 12% lower total cholesterol level, respectively (p<0.01). Compared to the lowest quartiles of total, stability and

Possible Reduction of Cardiac Risk after Supplementation with Epigallocatechin Gallate and Increase of Ketone Bodies in the Blood in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. A Pilot Study

“…The anthropometric changes that appear throughout the disease are related to cardiovascular risk, the prevalence of which is higher for MS patients than the general population [ 14 ]. On the one hand, a decline in skeletal muscle mass leads to a rise in the specific lipid levels related to hyperlipidemia and the development of cardiometabolic syndromes [ 15 ]. On the other hand, an increase in body fat, associated with inflammation and oxidation, multiplies the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases [ 16 ], especially when body fat is located in the abdominal area [ 17 ].…”

Associations Between Lipoprotein Subfractions and Area and Density of Abdominal Muscle and Intermuscular Adipose Tissue: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

“…For this report, we used pixel intensities from a single scan at the L4/L5 vertebral junction. Slices were processed using MIPAV 4.1.2 (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD), which estimated area (cm 2 ) and density (Hounsfield units, Hu) of total abdominal muscle and IMAT using a semi-automated method ( Vella and Allison, 2018 ; Vella et al, 2020 ). Total abdominal measures were the sum of the four muscle groups: right and left psoas, paraspinal, oblique, and rectus abdominis.…”

Computed Tomography-Derived Myosteatosis and Metabolic Disorders

“…In contrast, Vella et al [ 36 ] studied a slightly older cohort of 1,868 men and women from the MESA and reported a strong, positive and independent association between total abdominal muscle density and total cholesterol, but not LDL-C, HDL-C, or triglycerides. Additionally, locomotor muscle density was positively and independently associated with total cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, whereas stability muscle density was not associated with any of the lipids or lipoproteins measured.…”

“…Similarly, results from the Health ABC Study suggest that the associations between thigh muscle IMAT and different measures of inflammation (i.e., IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α) are significantly smaller in African-American women, compared to White women [ 42 ]. On the other hand, there were no significant differences by sex or race/ethnicity for the associations between (1) IMAT and muscle density with adiponectin, leptin, IL-6, CRP, and resistin [ 41 ]; (2) muscle density with cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides and glucose [ 36 ]; (3) muscle density with coronary artery calcium [ 53 ]; and (4) muscle density with mortality [ 54 ].…”