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.