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European Heart Journal Advance Access originally published online on May 19, 2008
European Heart Journal 2008 29(12):1516-1522; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehn207
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Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2008. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

The ageing male heart: myocardial triglyceride content as independent predictor of diastolic function

Rutger W. van der Meer1,2,*, Luuk J. Rijzewijk3, Michaela Diamant3, Sebastiaan Hammer1,2, Michael Schär4,5, Jeroen J. Bax6, Johannes W.A. Smit2, Johannes A. Romijn2, Albert de Roos1 and Hildo J. Lamb1

1 Department of Radiology (C2-S), Leiden University Medical Center, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
2 Department of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
3 Endocrinology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
4 Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
5 Philips Medical Systems, Cleveland, OH, USA
6 Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

Received 7 December 2007; revised 20 April 2008; accepted 24 April 2008; online publish-ahead-of-print 19 May 2008.

* Corresponding author. Tel: +31 71 5264950, Fax: +31 71 5248256, Email: r.w.van_der_meer{at}lumc.nl

Aims: In animal models of obesity and diabetes mellitus, myocardial TG accumulation is associated with decreased myocardial function. In the physiologically ageing heart, myocardial triglyceride (TG) accumulation may also occur due to reduced myocardial fatty acid oxidation. The role of myocardial TG in the ageing human heart is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to evaluate the effects of ageing on myocardial TG content, and to determine the association between myocardial TG content and heart function.

Methods and results: 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging of the heart were performed in 43 healthy male subjects. Mean age (range) of the subjects was 44 (20–66) years. Body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and biochemical markers were determined. Age correlated significantly to myocardial TG content (r = 0.57, P< 0.05) independently of BMI. Furthermore, myocardial TG content correlated negatively with left ventricular diastolic function (represented by E/A ratio, r = –0.68, P < 0.05). Multivariable analysis indicated myocardial TG content as independent predictor (P < 0.05) of the age related decrease in diastolic heart function.

Conclusion: Myocardial TG content increases in the physiologically ageing male heart and is associated with the age-related decline in diastolic function, independent of BMI, blood pressure, and biochemical blood markers.

Key Words: Spectroscopy • Heart • Ageing • Lipids • Heart function • MRI


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