The study was aimed at investigating the relationship between skeletal muscle mass and interventricular septum thickness in overweight and obese subjects (BMI≥25)

Subjects were enrolled at the first examination whether they were not taking any medication, including oral contraceptives or drugs for osteoporosis, and free of significant medical illnesses, except obesity. Exclusion criteria were history of endocrinological diseases (diabetes mellitus, hypo or hyperthyroidism, hypopituitarism, etc.), chronic inflammatory diseases, stable known hypertension, angina pectoris, stroke, transient ischemic attack, heart infarction, congenital heart disease, malignancies, chronic inflammatory diseases, renal and liver failure, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, heart failure, congenital heart diseases, minor and major stroke, and inherited thrombocytopenias and other major malignancies. Subjects were examined by means of the medical history, hormonal, metabolic and routine hematochemical parameters. The investigators provided for a clinical baseline evaluation that included extemporaneous ambulatory blood pressure (BP), echocardiography, bioimpedance and a physical assessment of body weight, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Circumference (WC) as anthropometric parameters.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Overweight or obesity (BMI> 25 Kg/m2)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any kind of drug
• Hypertension
• Endocrine diseases (diabetes mellitus, hypo or hyperthyroidism, hypopituitarism, etc.),
• Chronic inflammatory diseases
• Renal failure
• Liver failure
• Angina pectoris
• Myocardial infarction and heart failure
• Genetic heart diseases
• Thrombocytopenias

Patients who came to the Outpatient Clinic of Nutrition at the National Institute of Gastroenterology "S. de Bellis," Research Hospital, Castellana Grotte, Italy.