Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to find out the characteristics of large and small arterial compliance and regional body composition in middle-aged and elderly adults. [Subjects] The subjects were 103 middle-aged and elderly adults (33 men and 70 women; mean age, 53.7 ± 8.4 years; range, 34-69 years). [Methods] Large and small arterial compliances were measured as indices of arterial wall elasticity. Waist circumference, hip circumference and the waist-to-hip ratio were anthropometrically determined. As an index of regional body composition, peripheral and central lean and fat mass were measured by a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry method. [Results] Large arterial compliance was negatively correlated with the waist-to-hip ratio. Small arterial compliance was positively correlated with peripheral and central lean mass. [Conclusion] We conclude that stiffness of large arteries is positively associated with increased abdominal fat mass relative to fat and lean mass of the hip and lower extremities in middle-aged and elderly adults, whereas stiffness of small arteries is inversely associated with muscle volume of the whole body.
