Introduction:
There is emerging evidence that brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) may play a role in human metabolism. Suppressed concentrations in BNP in obese individuals may contribute to clinical phenotypes of metabolic syndrome. There is limited data on the relation of BNP to metabolic syndrome in African Americans.
Methods:
To assess the association between plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and MetS risk factors in blacks, we analyzed cross-sectional data from 3,729 Jackson Heart Study participants free of heart failure (mean age, 54 years; 64% women). We performed sex-specific Tobit regression analysis on log transformed BNP to account for the left censored BNP distribution and adjusted for clinical and echocardiographic variables. Prevalence of MetS was 44% and 35% in women and men, respectively. We estimated percent changes for the underlying variables by back-transformation.
Results:
Plasma BNP concentration was inversely associated with metabolic syndrome components (fasting glucose and waist circumference in both men and women; and triglycerides in women). Sex-specific multivariable adjusted BNP concentrations were significantly lower in subjects with MetS than those without. In men, BNP concentration was 35% lower (P < 0.0001); and in women it was 31% lower (P < 0.0001). Men and women with insulin resistance represented by elevated homeostasis assessment model (HOMA-IR) index had significantly (P < 0.0001) lower BNP concentration compared to those with low HOMA-IR index.
Discussion and Conclusion:
We found in a community based cohort of African Americans a significant relation of low BNP concentration to MetS and individual components of MetS. This data supports a growing body of evidence that BNP plays a potential crucial role in total body metabolism.
Plasma Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels and Blood Pressure Tracking in the Framingham Heart Study
