Association between the combined fat mass and fat-free mass index and hypertension: The Tohoku Medical Megabank Community-based Cohort Study

• Published in: Clinical and experimental hypertension (1993) 2021-10, Vol.43 (7), p.610-621
• Main Authors: Takase, Masato, Nakamura, Tomohiro, Tsuchiya, Naho, Kogure, Mana, Itabashi, Fumi, Narita, Akira, Hirata, Takumi, Nakaya, Naoki, Hamanaka, Yohei, Sugawara, Junichi, Suzuki, Kichiya, Fuse, Nobuo, Uruno, Akira, Kodama, Eiichi N, Kuriyama, Shinichi, Tsuji, Ichiro, Kure, Shigeo, Hozawa, Atsushi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue; Blood Pressure; Body Composition; Body Mass Index; Cohort Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; epidemiology; fat mass index; fat-free mass index; Female; Humans; hypertension; Hypertension - diagnosis; Hypertension - drug therapy; Hypertension - epidemiology; Male; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1064-1963; 1525-6006
• DOI: 10.1080/10641963.2021.1925681

A  higher body fat percentage is associated with hypertension, even in non-obese individuals. The difference in body composition may be related to hypertension. The fat mass index (FMI) and fat-free mass index (FFMI) are proposed indicators of body composition. This study aimed to examine the relationship of a combination of FMI and FFMI with hypertension. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 5,058 men and 11,842 women aged ≥ 20 years in the Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan. The FMI and FFMI were calculated as the fat mass and fat-free mass divided by the height squared, respectively. The indices were classified into quartiles and combined into 16 groups. Hypertension was defined as casual blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mmHg and/or self-reported treatment for hypertension. Multivariable logistic regression models, adjusted for potential confounders, were used to assess the relationship of a combination of FMI and FFMI with hypertension. Higher FMI was associated with hypertension in most of the FFMI subgroups. Similarly, a higher FFMI was associated with hypertension in most of FMI subgroups. For men, the association between FFMI and hypertension in the lowest FMI group was not significant. Reducing the FMI and FFMI may be important in preventing hypertension. For men, the relationship between the FFMI and hypertension in the lowest FMI group might be weak.