Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of DIRECT PLUS participants across tertiles of fasting morning coristol, n=289.
| Low tertile | Median tertile | top tertile | P of trend | r-correlation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cortisol, nmol/L | 207.69 ( ± 41.64) | 300.62 ( ± 27.57) | 402.86 ( ± 52.18) | – | – |
| count | 96 | 96 | 97 | - | - |
| Diabetes and Pre-diabetes, % | 41.67 | 44.79 | 61.05 | 0.02* | – |
| Age, years | 49.2 ( ± 9.12) | 52.02 ( ± 11.22) | 52.19 ( ± 10.91) | 0.05* | 0.11* |
| Weight, kg | 95.08 ( ± 15.95) | 93.51 ( ± 12.91) | 92.84 ( ± 13.81) | 0.32 | 0.01 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 31.26 ( ± 3.78) | 31.48 ( ± 3.86) | 31.23 ( ± 4.27) | 0.65 | -0.03 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 109.29 ( ± 9.45) | 109.94 ( ± 7.65) | 110.07 ( ± 10.88) | 0.6 | 0.06 |
| Diastolic-BP, mm Hg | 81.1 ( ± 10.03) | 80.92 ( ± 9.74) | 80.97 ( ± 10.96) | 0.85 | 0.05 |
| Systolic-BP, mm Hg | 127.82 ( ± 11.59) | 130.8 ( ± 13.34) | 130.46 ( ± 14.55) | 0.27 | 0.08 |
| Blood Biomarkers | |||||
| Fasting glucose, mg/dL | 100.99 ( ± 16.77) | 99.74 ( ± 14.69) | 109.69 ( ± 33.36) | 0.02* | 0.18* |
| Insulin, μU/mL | 15.36 ( ± 8.1) | 14.57 ( ± 7.17) | 14.09 ( ± 8.16) | 0.15 | -0.06 |
| HOMA IR | 3.94 ( ± 2.48) | 3.67 ( ± 2.1) | 3.69 ( ± 2.35) | 0.34 | -0.02 |
| HbA1c, % | 5.44 ( ± 0.58) | 5.45 ( ± 0.45) | 5.55 ( ± 0.83) | 0.8 | 0.04 |
| Cholesterol, mg/dL | 189.55 ( ± 30.85) | 191.55 ( ± 35.87) | 190.14 ( ± 32.59) | 0.89 | 0.08 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL& | 4.93 ( ± 0.41) | 4.84 ( ± 0.51) | 4.93 ( ± 0.41) | 0.8 | 0.10 |
| LDLc, mg/dL | 126.46 ( ± 29.47) | 124.11 ( ± 30.09) | 124.83 ( ± 29.83) | 0.55 | 0.04 |
| HDLc, mg/dL | 43.42 ( ± 9.94) | 48.36 ( ± 13.08) | 46.22 ( ± 11.46) | 0.11 | 0.04 |
| FFA mmol/L | 0.49 ( ± 0.19) | 0.5 ( ± 0.16) | 0.49 ( ± 0.16) | 0.49 | 0.01 |
| ALT, U/L | 36.19 ( ± 17.76) | 33.29 ( ± 15.18) | 35.29 ( ± 17.49) | 0.69 | 0.03 |
| AST, U/L | 26.57 ( ± 8.64) | 25.01 ( ± 7.38) | 25.43 ( ± 7.25) | 0.43 | 0.01 |
| ALKP, mg/dL | 74.99 ( ± 18.59) | 71.53 ( ± 18.72) | 76.15 ( ± 20.39) | 0.67 | -0.02 |
| hsCRP&, mg/L | 0.92 ( ± 0.95) | 0.98 ( ± 0.72) | 1.11 ( ± 0.9) | 0.04* | 0.10 |
| IL6 pg/m | 3.69 ( ± 1.71) | 4.23 ( ± 4.97) | 3.89 ( ± 2.31) | 0.88 | -0.01 |
| Leptin, ng/mL | 13.01 ( ± 8.99) | 14.2 ( ± 11.26) | 15.22 ( ± 13.79) | 0.92 | -0.07 |
| Fetuin A, μg/mL | 334.49 ( ± 95.03) | 347.73 ( ± 94.21) | 350.24 ( ± 98.92) | 0.27 | 0.09 |
| Chemerin, ng/mL | 206.78 ( ± 46.18) | 202.26 ( ± 36.4) | 215.11 ( ± 47.1) | 0.09 | 0.08 |
| FGF 21, pg/mL | 193.65 ( ± 119.25) | 175.68 ( ± 109.21) | 225.49 ( ± 148.95) | 0.15 | 0.09 |
| TSH mIU/liter | 2.28 ( ± 1.47) | 2.33 ( ± 1.05) | 2.44 ( ± 1.14) | 0.14 | 0.11* |
| Folic Acid, ng/dl | 7.65 ( ± 3.12) | 8.65 ( ± 4.12) | 7.85 ( ± 3.4) | 0.82 | 0.04 |
| Ghrelin, pg/mL | 527.76 ( ± 235.15) | 520.11 ( ± 227.42) | 531.45 ( ± 283.47) | 0.65 | -0.11 |
| Aldosterone, nmol/L | 231.69 ( ± 182.18) | 208.21 ( ± 118.48) | 225.7 ( ± 114.07) | 0.84 | 0.04 |
| Progesterone, nmol/L | |||||
| Entire | 2.17 ( ± 8.74) | 0.87 ( ± 3.81) | 0.36 ( ± 0.16) | >0.01* | 0.22* |
| Women | 17.6(± 20.64) | 2.70(± 8.04) | 0.38(± 0.27) | 0.11 | -0.31 |
| Men | 0.27( ± 0.07) | 0.32( ± 0.19) | 0.35( ± 0.13) | >0.01* | 0.31* |
| Testosterone, nmol/L | |||||
| Entire | 13.15 ( ± 6.18) | 14.12 ( ± 7.49) | 13.92 ( ± 6.7) | 0.39 | 0.12* |
| Women | 0.77( ± 0.41) | 0.93( ± 0.41) | 0.95( ± 0.53) | 0.32 | 0.15 |
| Men | 14.74( ± 4.54) | 15.82( ± 6.12) | 15.75( ± 4.88) | 0.26 | 0.05 |
| Estradiol, pmol/L | |||||
| Entire | 123.37 ( ± 107.29) | 113.84 ( ± 131.85) | 107.02 ( ± 96.75) | 0.07 | -0.11 |
| Women | 309.25(± 213.66) | 237.66( ± 356.19) | 226.94( ± 239.67) | 0.27 | -0.18 |
| Men | 98.90( ± 42.05) | 96.53( ± 44.40) | 90.82( ± 40.85) | 0.17 | -0.06 |
| MRI derived fat deposits | |||||
| VAT proportion, % | 28.32 ( ± 7.78) | 27.36 ( ± 8.46) | 30.57 ( ± 9.97) | 0.04* | 0.15* |
| IHF content, % | 10.46 ( ± 8.84) | 10.38 ( ± 8.63) | 9.91 ( ± 8.75) | 0.52 | -0.04 |
1. Values are reported as mean ± SD.
2. P of trend was analyzed using Kendall’s Tau test.
3. Sex-specific Tertiles: Q1: men <=265 nmol/L; women: <=232 nmol/L; Q2: men: 266 nmol/L to 351 nmol/L women: 233 nmol/L to 304 nmol/L; Q3: men: =>352 nmol/L, women: =>305 nmol/L.
4. FMC, fasting morning cortisol; BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; HOMA-IR, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance; HbA1c, glycated-hemoglobin-A1c; LDL,Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDLc, high density lipoprotein cholesterol; FFA, free -fatty acids; ALT, Alanine Transaminase; AST, Aspartate aminotransferase; ALKP, alkaline phosphatase; hsCRP, High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein; IL6, Interleukin-6; FGF-21, Fibroblast Growth Factor 21; TSH, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone; VAT, visceral adipose tissue; DSC, deep subcutaneous adipose tissue; SSC, superficial subcutaneous adipose tissue; IHF, intrahepatic fat.
5. *p<0.05.
6. italic font style = p<0.1.
7. &Lan transformed.
8. The gonadal hormone levels were calculated for the same tests as presented in the entire table. However, the analysis further stratified these hormone levels by gender, including women and men. Subsequent testing was conducted within each of these strata to examine potential variations.