Fatty acid binding protein 4 predicts left ventricular mass and longitudinal function in overweight and obese women

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether increased adipocyte-derived serum fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) predisposes to cardiac remodelling and left ventricular dysfunction in human obesity. DESIGN: Cross-sectional investigation. SETTING: Academic clinical research centre. PATIENTS: 108 overweight and obese non-diabetic women (body-mass index 33+/-5 kg/m(2)). INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relationship between serum FABP4 and abdominal adipose tissue quantified by MRI. Relationship between serum FABP4 and left ventricular morphology and function assessed by cardiac MRI. RESULTS: FABP4 was independently associated with visceral abdominal adipose tissue ({beta}=0.34, p<0.01) and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue ({beta}=0.22, p<0.05). After stratification into serum FABP4 tertiles, left ventricular masses were 92+/-16 g, 86+/-13 g and 81+/-12 g in women with high, intermediate and low FABP4 concentrations (p<0.01), respectively. Longitudinal systolic function was reduced by 8% in women with intermediate and high versus low FABP4 concentrations (p<0.01), whereas ejection fraction did not differ among tertiles (p=0.5). In multivariate linear analysis FABP4 remained an independent predictor of left ventricular mass ({beta}=0.17, p<0.05) and reduced longitudinal fractional shortening ({beta}=0.21, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In overweight and obese women, FABP4 showed an independent association with parameters of left ventricular remodelling.