Abdominal obesity may be a key determinant in the link between metabolic syndrome and impaired lung function, according to an analysis of the health information for 121,965 men and women examined at a large French medical center during 1999–2006.
In that study, Dr. Nathalie Leone of the University of Paris 7-Denis Diderot in France and colleagues observed a positive, independent relationship between impaired lung function and metabolic syndrome in both sexes (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2009;179:509–16).
The investigators evaluated the risk for impaired lung function according to metabolic syndrome traits using a logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, education, smoking status, alcohol, BMI, physical activity, and cardiovascular disease history.
Impaired lung function was defined as a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) or forced vital capacity (FVC) less than the lower limit of normal. In the logistic regression model, impaired FEV1 and FVC were independently linked to metabolic syndrome, with odds ratios of 1.28 and 1.41, respectively. Similar results were observed in women and men, the authors reported.
Metabolic syndrome variables identified three factors independently associated with impaired lung function: low HDL cholesterol level/high triglyceride level, high fasting glucose level/high blood pressure, and waist circumference greater than 35 inches for women and greater than 40 inches for men.
Abdominal obesity showed the strongest association with lung function. Given that abdominal obesity has been associated in recent studies with a higher risk of respiratory death regardless of BMI, “our study raises potential concerns about how the possible impact of the increase in [waist circumference] reported in the United States and, to a lesser extent, in France on future adverse health outcomes should be considered when assigning resources in respiratory care,” wrote the authors, who reported having no relevant financial conflicts of interest.