The evaluation of facial features as markers of cardiometabolic health in women of post-reproductive age

Abstract Background The early-life environment has a significant influence on health in later life, including the risk of cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs). Several biomarkers have been proposed as putative indicators of early-life environmental quality, including facial fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and facial averageness (AVE). This study aimed to explore the association between facial FA and AVE with CMDs risk factors in women of post-reproductive age. Methods The participants were 248 post-reproductive women (M = 61.6, SD = 10.70) from the Mogielica Human Ecology Study Site in Poland. Standardized facial photographs were taken, and FA and AVE were calculated using geometric morphometrics. Fasting blood samples were collected, and blood pressure was measured directly. Body composition was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis. CMDs risk factors included blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density and low-density lipoproteins, triglycerides, and glucose levels. Additionally, the risk of metabolic syndrome was determined for each participant. Cardiovascular disease risk was also evaluated using the Systematic Coronary Risk Estimation scale (SCORE). FA and AVE were modelled separately against each CMDs risk factor using hierarchical linear and logistic models. Results No statistically significant associations were found between either FA or AVE and individual CMDs risk factors. Similarly, no relationships were observed between facial measurements and either SCORE or metabolic syndrome risk. Follow-up Bayesian analyses provided evidence that FA and AVE did not predict CMDs risk factors. Conclusions and implications While facial asymmetry and averageness may influence perceptions of health, they are unlikely to serve as biomarkers of cardiometabolic diseases risk in older women.