Effect of Liposuction on Coronary Disease Risk Factors

Masoumeh Sadeghi, Assistant Professor, CVD in Women Research Unit, Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, PO Box: 81465-1148, Email: [email protected] Abdominal obesity is characterized by waist circumference expansion and increased subcutaneous and visceral fat.3 Several studies have shown that abdominal obesity contributes to insulin resistance, increases serum levels of free fatty acids, and considerably raises levels of pre-inflammatory markers. Increase in preinflammatory markers is among the underlying causes of atherosclerosis.4-13 Epidemiological studies have shown that insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance which ensue from obesity, can predispose to type II diabetes.14 Molecular mechanisms and metabolic disturbances arising from the presence of extra fat in the body are not well understood, nevertheless, multiple cytokines such as TNF-α, interleukin 6 (IL6), B Introduction Abstract INTRODUCTION: Liposuction is a surgical procedure effective in reducing body fat, with growing application in conjunction with diet and exercise therapy in the treatment of obesity. In view of the positive effect of weight reduction on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), systolic and diastolic pressure, lipid profile, fasting blood sugar, insulin resistance, inflammatory markers (e.g. chronic reactive protein: CRP), antioxidant capacity, fibrinogen and lipoprotein A (Lpa), this study was conducted to assess the effect of liposuction as a therapeutic procedure in the treatment of obesity. METHODS: A total of 24 non-diabetic obese women (BMI>30) with a mean age of 48.7±7.3 years were studied. Before liposuction, the subjects filled out questionnaires obtaining demographic information. Complete physical examination, measurement of waist and hip circumference, height, weight and calculation of WHR and BMI were performed. Fasting blood samples were taken to measure fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, highdensity lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglyceride (TG), fibrinogen, antioxidant capacity, CRP, lipoprotein A, serum insulin, and insulin resistance. All measurements and physical examinations were repeated 12-14 weeks after liposuction. Data were analyzed with SPSS11 software using paired t-test and repeated measure ANOVA. RESULTS: WHR, BMI and LDL decreased significantly following liposuction (P<0.05). Other parameters, however, did not change significantly, although there were signs of positive changes. DISCUSSION: Liposuction decreases BMI, WHR and LDL within 12-14 weeks of liposuction. Providing these reductions are maintained, liposuction may prove valuable in reducing CVD risk factors, besides offering a means for obesity control.