Influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on obesity-associated inflammation in women and men: The FATCOR study

Helga Midtbø; Arve Ulvik; Dana Cramariuc; Klaus Meyer; Per M Ueland; Hilde Halland; Eva Gerdts

doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2024.04.002

Influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on obesity-associated inflammation in women and men: The FATCOR study

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2024 Apr 12:S0939-4753(24)00151-0. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2024.04.002. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Helga Midtbø¹, Arve Ulvik², Dana Cramariuc³, Klaus Meyer², Per M Ueland⁴, Hilde Halland⁵, Eva Gerdts³

Affiliations

¹ Center for Research on Cardiac Disease in Women, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Heart Disease, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. Electronic address: Helga.Midtbo@uib.no.
² Bevital AS, Bergen, Norway.
³ Center for Research on Cardiac Disease in Women, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Department of Heart Disease, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
⁴ Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
⁵ Center for Research on Cardiac Disease in Women, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; Emergency Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.

PMID: 38749786
DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2024.04.002

Abstract

Background and aims: Cardiorespiratory fitness has been postulated to lower chronic inflammation in obesity. We assessed sex-specific associations of inflammation with cardiorespiratory fitness in overweight and obese persons.

Methods and results: Peak oxygen uptake (VO_2max) was measured by treadmill in 566 participants (age 48 ± 9 years, 60% women) with body mass index >27.0 kg/m² in the FAT associated CardiOvasculaR dysfunction (FATCOR) study. Fitness was identified from age- and sex specific reference levels of VO_2max. The inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), kynurenine:tryptophan ratio (KTR) and pyriodoxic acid ratio (PAr) were measured by mass spectrometry. In the total study population 63% had obesity and 74% were cardiorespiratory unfit. Unfit women had the highest fat percentage and the highest serum levels of CRP and SAA (p < 0.05). In multivariable linear regression analyses in women, higher CRP (β -0.15, p = 0.001), SAA (β -0.10, p = 0.03) and PAr (β -0.09, p = 0.03) were associated with lower VO_2max after adjusting for confounders. In multivariable analyses in men, higher PAr (β -0.14, p = 0.02) was associated with lower VO_2max. In multivariable analyses in obese women, higher CRP and PAr remained associated with lower VO_2max (p < 0.05), while in obese men there was no significant association. When normalizing VO_2max for fat-free mass (VO_2maxFFM) higher CRP, SAA and PAr index were associated with lower VO_2maxFFM in women, while only higher PAr index was associated with lower VO_2maxFFM in men.

Conclusion: The association of inflammation with lower cardiorespiratory fitness was more pronounced in women than men, in particular when obesity was present.

Clinical trial registration: URL: http://www.

Clinicaltrials: gov NCT02805478.

Keywords: CRP; Cardiorespiratory fitness; Inflammation; Obesity; Sex; Women.

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT02805478