Reduced lean body mass and cardiometabolic diseases in adult males with overweight and obesity: A pilot study

Little is known about the reduction in lean body mass (LBM) and its health consequences in overweight and in obesity, especially in males. Therefore, we aimed to assess the prevalence of low LBM in treatment-seeking adult males with overweight and obesity and the association with cardiometabolic diseases, i.e., type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and dyslipidemia. A body composition assessment was conducted by a bio-impedance analyzer (InBody 170) among a total of 110 males, of whom 72 were overweight and obese and were referred to the Outpatient Clinic in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Beirut Arab University (BAU) in Lebanon, and 38 were normal-weight participants of similar ages. The participants with overweight and obesity were then categorized as being with or without low LBM. Of the sample of 72 participants, 50 (69.4%) met the criteria for reduced LBM and displayed a significantly higher prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases (i.e., type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and dyslipidemia) than those with normal LBM (36.0% vs. 9.1%; p = 0.019). Logistic regression analysis showed that low LBM increases the odds of having cardiometabolic diseases by nearly 550% (odds ratio (OR) = 5.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.31–26.39, p < 0.05) after adjusting for total fat and central adiposity. Treatment-seeking adult males with overweight and obesity displayed a great prevalence of reduced LBM, which seems to be strongly associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.