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Central Adiposity Rather Than Total Adiposity Measurements Are Specifically Involved in the Inflammatory Status from Healthy Young Adults

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Abstract

This study assessed the potential association of some proinflammatory markers with adiposity (total vs. central) and metabolic features in young adults. Measurements included body composition, lifestyle features, blood biochemical, and selected inflammatory indicators on 154 healthy subjects (53 M/101 F; 21.5 ± 3 years; 22.1 ± 2.6 kg/m2). Those subjects with higher waist circumference (WC) and waist–hip ratio (WHR) showed higher (P < 0.05) C-reactive protein (CRP), complement C3, interleukin-6 (IL6), and retinol binding protein-4 (RBP4) concentrations, while only IL6 was positively associated with total body fat (%). Furthermore, CRP and RBP4 were higher in former/current smokers, as compared to never smokers (P < 0.05). Some indicators of glucose (homeostasis model assessment—insulin resistance) and lipid metabolism (total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein—cholesterol and triglycerides) were positively associated with the assayed inflammatory markers (P < 0.05). The findings of this cross-sectional study indicate that central adiposity-related indicators (WC/WHR) correlated better than those assessing total adiposity with plasma proinflammatory markers, which additionally were associated with lifestyle and metabolic features in healthy young adults.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank our physician Blanca E. Martínez de Morentin, our nurse Salomé Pérez, and our technician Verónica Ciaurriz for excellent technical assistance. This work was supported by Health Department of the Government of Navarra (22/2007) and by Línea Especial about Nutrition, Obesity and Health (University of Navarra LE/97). The Capes Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil as well as IBERCAJA and ADA fellowships scheme of the University of Navarra also provided research grants to HHM Hermsdorff (no. 3756/05-0) and B Puchau, respectively.

Contributors

HHMH: Design, field work, data collection, analysis, and writing of the manuscript. BP: Design, field work, and data collection. MZ: project coleader, design, financial management, and editing the manuscript. JAM: project leader, general coordination, design, financial management, and editing of the manuscript. None of the contributing authors had any financial or personal interests in any of the bodies sponsoring this research.

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  1. Department of Nutrition, Food Science, Physiology and Toxicology, University of Navarra, C/ Irunlarrea, 1, 31008, Pamplona, Spain

    Helen Hermana M. Hermsdorff, M. Ángeles Zulet, Blanca Puchau & J. Alfredo Martínez

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  1. Helen Hermana M. Hermsdorff
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  2. M. Ángeles Zulet
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Correspondence to J. Alfredo Martínez.

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Hermsdorff, H.H.M., Zulet, M.Á., Puchau, B. et al. Central Adiposity Rather Than Total Adiposity Measurements Are Specifically Involved in the Inflammatory Status from Healthy Young Adults. Inflammation 34, 161–170 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-010-9219-y

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