Epicardial Fat Tissue: Relationship With Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Men

KIM, M., K. TANAKA, M. KIM, T. MATSUO, T. TOMITA, H. OHKUBO, S. MAEDA, and R. AJISAKA. Epicardial Fat Tissue: Relationship with Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Men. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 463-469, 2010. Purpose: To explore the influence of the epicardial fat (EF) tissue on aspects of heart rate recovery (HRR) and cardiorespiratory fitness ((V) over dotO(2peak)) in middle-aged men. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of EF thickness was performed on 101 overweight or obese men. The men were categorized into low-EF, moderate-EF, and high-EF groups on the basis of ventricular EF thickness, as measured by transthoracic echocardiography. (V)over dotO(2peak) was assessed with a graded maximal cycle ergometric test, including measurement of HRR 2 min after test cessation to estimate parasympathetic activity, with assessment of several metabolic parameters. Results: Men in the highest and the middle EF thickness tertile had significantly slower recovery times than subjects in the lowest tertile, respectively (P < 0.05). Subjects with higher EF thickness were more likely to have impaired recovery and to reveal lower cardiorespiratory fitness than low-EF group subjects. There was a significant partial correlation, adjusted by age and body weight, between EF thickness and (V) over dotO(2peak) (r = -0.25, P = 0.014). In the hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses, EF thickness was the strongest predicting variable associated with (V) over dotO(2peak) in these population (beta = -1.182, P = 0.001). Conclusions: Higher EF thickness in men is associated with lower HRR at 1 and 2 min, a representation of autonomic dysfunction and poor cardiorespiratory fitness. These data suggest that moderately obese men with thicker EF tissue demonstrate reduced cardiorespiratory fitness and a differing parasympathetic response to exercise testing, as compared with men with lower EF levels.