Is retinal vasculature change associated with risk of obesity? Longitudinal cohort study in Japanese adults: The Funagata study

UNLABELLED Aims/Introduction:  To examine the association between baseline retinal vessel caliber change and prevalence, and 5-year incidence of obesity in the adult Japanese population of the Funagata study. MATERIALS AND METHODS   Of 900 individuals (age ≥ 35 years) who underwent systemic and retinal examinations in the Funagata study during 2000-2002, 584 (64.8%) were not obese as defined by body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m(2), and considered at risk of incident obesity. In 2005-2007, 454 patients returned for 5-year follow-up examination (52.9%). Incidence of overweight was defined as subjects who were not overweight at baseline examination (BMI < 23 kg/m(2)), but overweight (BMI ≥ 23 to <25 kg/m(2)) at follow up, and that of obesity as subjects who were not obese at baseline examination (BMI < 25 kg/m(2)), but obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m(2)) at follow up. RESULTS   The prevalence of obesity at baseline was 35.1% (316/900); there was a cross-sectional association between wider retinal venular diameters and obesity (adjusted odds ratio [OR] per +1 standard deviation (SD) change: 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.35) after adjusting for age and sex. Cumulative incidence of obesity between baseline and 5-year follow up was 10.6% (32/303). Although the risk of incident overweight or obesity was higher in persons with wider retinal venular caliber, there were no statistically significant associations between baseline venular caliber and 5-year incidence of obesity. CONCLUSIONS   Although we found significant cross-sectional associations of retinal venodilation with the prevalence of overweight, we could not confirm that retinal venodilation preceded the development of obesity in this population. (J Diabetes Invest, doi: 10.1111/j.2040-1124.2010.00086.x, 2011).