title: Obesity and overweight associated with increased carotid diameter and decreased arterial function in young otherwise healthy men.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, increased mortality and vascular remodeling. Although increased arterial diameter is associated with multiple cardiovascular risk factors and obesity, it is unknown whether lumen enlargement is accompanied by unfavorable vascular changes in young and otherwise healthy obese individuals. The purpose of this study was to compare carotid and brachial artery diameter, blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and endothelial function in young, apparently healthy, normal-weight, overweight, and obese male subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred sixty-five male subjects (27.39±0.59 years) were divided into 3 groups (normal weight, overweight, and obese) according to body mass index. Subjects underwent cardiovascular measurements to determine arterial diameter, function, and stiffness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting for age, the obese group had significantly greater brachial, carotid, and aortic pressures, brachial pulse wave velocity, carotid intima media thickness, and carotid arterial diameter compared with both the overweight and normal-weight groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obesity is associated with a much worse arterial profile, as an increased carotid lumen size was accompanied by higher blood pressure, greater arterial stiffness, and greater carotid intima media thickness in obese compared with overweight or normal-weight individuals. These data suggest that although obesity may be a factor in arterial remodeling, such remodeling is also accompanied by other hemodynamic and arterial changes consistent with reduced arterial function and increased cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Integrative Physiology Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Rebecca M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kappus
authors.forename: Christopher A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Fahs
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Gavin P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: Stomatis
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agiovlasitis
authors.forename: Lindy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rossow
authors.forename: Sae Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jae
authors.forename: Kevin S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Heffernan
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fernhall
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D050177:Overweight / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D063177:Pulse Wave Analysis; D059289:Vascular Stiffness
keywords: arterial diameter; arterial remodeling; arterial stiffness; blood pressure; hypertension; obesity.
references.citation: Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Jan;73(1):123-6
references.pmid: 11124761
references.citation: Arch Intern Med. 2002 Sep 9;162(16):1867-72
references.pmid: 12196085
references.citation: Vasc Med. 2010 Jun;15(3):215-22
references.pmid: 20375126
references.citation: Am J Cardiol. 2009 Nov 15;104(10):1441-5
references.pmid: 19892065
references.citation: Am J Hypertens. 2002 May;15(5):445-52
references.pmid: 12022247
references.citation: Stroke. 2005 Apr;36(4):762-7
references.pmid: 15746451
references.citation: Circulation. 2004 Jan 20;109(2):184-9
references.pmid: 14662706
references.citation: Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2007 Feb;23(1):15-23
references.pmid: 16779615
references.citation: Hypertension. 1997 Sep;30(3 Pt 2):654-9
references.pmid: 9322999
references.citation: Heart Vessels. 2008 Jul;23(4):224-9
references.pmid: 18649052
references.citation: Hypertension. 2005 Apr;45(4):592-6
references.pmid: 15753232
references.citation: Am J Med. 2010 Aug;123(8):727-34
references.pmid: 20670727
references.citation: Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2008 Feb;24(2):165-71
references.pmid: 17680345
references.citation: Circulation. 2007 May 8;115(18):2390-7
references.pmid: 17452608
references.citation: Am J Hypertens. 2001 May;14(5 Pt 1):463-8
references.pmid: 11368468
references.citation: Arch Intern Med. 2002 Dec 9-23;162(22):2557-62
references.pmid: 12456227
references.citation: Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009 Sep;17(9):1783-8
references.pmid: 19325543
references.citation: Hypertension. 1999 Jun;33(6):1392-8
references.pmid: 10373222
references.citation: Am Heart J. 2002 May;143(5):802-7
references.pmid: 12040340
references.citation: Hypertension. 2003 Oct;42(4):468-73
references.pmid: 12953016
references.citation: Circulation. 1994 Jun;89(6):2570-7
references.pmid: 8205666
references.citation: J Hypertens. 2001 Mar;19(3):381-7
references.pmid: 11288807
references.citation: Cardiovasc Res. 1987 Sep;21(9):678-87
references.pmid: 3328650
references.citation: Hypertension. 1990 Apr;15(4):339-47
references.pmid: 2180816
references.citation: Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2009 Apr;29(4):606-12
references.pmid: 19164807
references.citation: Hypertension. 2007 Jul;50(1):154-60
references.pmid: 17562972
references.citation: Hypertension. 1999 Aug;34(2):217-21
references.pmid: 10454444
references.citation: J Chronic Dis. 1972 Jul 1;25(6):329-43
references.pmid: 4650929
references.citation: Circulation. 1996 Apr 1;93(7):1372-9
references.pmid: 8641026
references.citation: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2008 Apr;294(4):H1685-92
references.pmid: 18281379
references.citation: JAMA. 1994 Jan 26;271(4):289-94
references.pmid: 8295288
references.citation: Circulation. 2009 Aug 11;120(6):502-9
references.pmid: 19635967
references.citation: Hypertension. 2001 Oct;38(4):932-7
references.pmid: 11641312
references.citation: Circulation. 2002 Jan 22;105(3):297-303
references.pmid: 11804983
references.citation: Eur J Epidemiol. 1993 May;9(3):298-306
references.pmid: 8405315
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1994 May 19;330(20):1431-8
references.pmid: 8159199
references.citation: Circulation. 2003 Jan 7;107(1):139-46
references.pmid: 12515756
references.citation: Stroke. 2007 Apr;38(4):1371-3
references.pmid: 17322090
references.citation: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Jun 26;49(25):2379-93
references.pmid: 17599600
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1987 May 28;316(22):1371-5
references.pmid: 3574413
references.citation: JAMA. 2012 Sep 5;308(9):875-81
references.pmid: 22948697
references.citation: Br J Pharmacol. 2012 Feb;165(3):561-73
references.pmid: 21895631
references.citation: Stroke. 1996 Apr;27(4):654-60
references.pmid: 8614925
references.citation: J Hypertens Suppl. 1992 Aug;10(6):S101-4
references.pmid: 1432307