Assessment of Cardiac Autonomic Function Across Body Mass Index Levels in Young Adult Females

Abstract

Background: Cardiac autonomic function can be assessed non-invasively using heart rate variability (HRV), whichreflects the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic influences on the heart. Altered HRV is associated withincreased cardiovascular risk. Body mass index (BMI), an indicator of body composition, has been shown to influenceautonomic function. However, data focusing specifically on young adult females remain limited.Aim: To assess cardiac autonomic function across different BMI levels in young adult females.Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 100 apparently healthy female participants aged 18–25 years.Anthropometric measurements were recorded and BMI was calculated. Cardiac autonomic function was assessed usingHRV derived from a 5-minute resting ECG recording. Time-domain and frequency-domain parameters were analyzed.Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA),and Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) post-hoc test.Results: Analysis demonstrated an association between BMI and HRV parameters. Higher BMI showed a trend towardreduced parasympathetic activity, reflected by lower vagal indices such as RMSSD and HF power, along with a relativeincrease in LF/HF ratio, suggesting sympathetic predominance. These findings are consistent with the observation thatincreased adiposity is associated with altered autonomic balance.Conclusion: Higher BMI is found to be associated with altered cardiac autonomic function in young adult females,indicating early autonomic imbalance. HRV assessment in relation to BMI may help in early identification of individuals atrisk for future cardiovascular dysfunction.