Truncal Adiposity and Lung Function in Older Black Women

The increase in adiposity associated with aging is a concern in older adults, especially as it relates to the risk for ventilatory complications. Therefore, the specific aim of this study was to determine the association of various measures of abdominal adiposity with lung function in a sample of older healthy Black women. Participants ( n = 27) had no history of diabetes or respiratory disease. The mean age was 67 years. Lung function was measured by spirometry using percent of predicted values for forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ). Body fat was measured using a three-dimensional photonic scanner and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Correlation analyses show that percent body fat in the trunk (%TF) is significantly associated with percent predicted FVC (r = −0.38; p < 0.05). No association was observed between anthropometric indices of truncal adiposity and lung function. Results of this study show that truncal fat mass measured by DXA is more strongly associated with lung function than anthropometric indices of truncal adiposity in this sample of women.