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Body fat percentage is independently associated with lower pulmonary function in Korean never-smokers: A cross-sectional analysis of 33,748 adults.

Eun Kyung Choe,Seung Ho Choi,Hae Yeon Kang

Published 2026 in PLoS ONE

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND The relationship between obesity and pulmonary function is difficult to interpret using body mass index (BMI) alone because BMI cannot distinguish adiposity from lean mass. This study evaluated whether body fat percentage (BF%) is more strongly associated with pulmonary function than BMI in Korean never-smokers. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 33,748 never-smoking adults who underwent spirometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis during health screenings between January 2007 and December 2014. Pulmonary function was assessed using forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) from pre-bronchodilator spirometry. Participants were stratified by BF% quartiles. Multivariable linear regression was used to evaluate the association between BF% and lung function after adjustment for age, BMI, waist circumference, and metabolic factors. In sensitivity analyses, lung function impairment was defined using lower limit of normal (LLN) criteria, and multivariable logistic regression was applied to evaluate restrictive and obstructive patterns. RESULTS Higher BF% was consistently associated with lower FVC and FEV₁ in both sexes across all BMI categories (all P < 0.001). After full adjustment, individuals in the lowest BF% quartile demonstrated significantly higher lung function than those in the highest quartile (β for FVC: + 0.65 L in men and +0.36 L in women; β for FEV₁: + 0.46 L in men and +0.28 L in women; all P < 0.05). These associations were most pronounced in younger men and in individuals with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m². In LLN-based analyses, elevated BF% was independently associated with a markedly increased risk of restrictive impairment in both men (OR 3.31, 95% CI 2.46-4.47) and women (OR 3.19, 95% CI 2.69-3.79), whereas no independent association was observed with obstructive patterns. CONCLUSION BF% is independently and inversely associated with pulmonary function and is selectively linked to restrictive ventilatory impairment, offering more refined respiratory risk stratification than BMI in Korean never-smokers.

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