Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.
Sec. Cardiovascular Endocrinology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1355968

Effect of fat distribution on left ventricular structure and function in different sexes: A Mendelian randomization study

Provisionally accepted
Hang Li Hang Li 1Guangjiao Yin Guangjiao Yin 1Ziwei Wang Ziwei Wang 1Fang Lv Fang Lv 1Rui Li Rui Li 1Juan-Juan Qin Juan-Juan Qin 1,2*Xujun Ye Xujun Ye 1,2*
  • 1 Department of Geriatrics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hebei Province, China
  • 2 School of Nursing, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hebei Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Although there is an interaction between sex, body fat distribution, and cardiac structure and function, these relationships have not been fully elucidated yet. This study aims to reveal the causal relationship between genetic determinants of fat distribution pattern and function of the left ventricular structure in different sexes.Methods: Genetic variants for waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and body mass index (BMI) were selected from genome-wide association studies conducted in European samples. The dataset for left ventricular (LV) parameters was obtained from over 35,000 European samples in the UK Biobank Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance sub-study. Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was employed to explore causal relationships.Results: After adjusting for BMI, WHR shows a positive causal relationship with LV hypertrophy and a significant negative causal relationship with LV volume and diastolic function. In further subgroup analysis, we only found similar results in WHR among the female population (FWHR), while in the male population, there was no significant causal relationship between MWHR and LV hypertrophy and diastolic function.Additionally, in our MR analysis, no causal relationship was found between WHR andConclusions: This study indicates that the fat distribution pattern has unique effects on the structure and function of the LV, and these effects vary by sex. This study provides evidence for a causal relationship between fat distribution and LV structure and function across both sexes.

    Keywords: fat distribution pattern, waist-to-hip ratio, Left ventricular structure and function, sex differences, Mendelian randomization

    Received: 14 Dec 2023; Accepted: 07 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Li, Yin, Wang, Lv, Li, Qin and Ye. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Juan-Juan Qin, Department of Geriatrics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hebei Province, China
    Xujun Ye, Department of Geriatrics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hebei Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.