Table 1.
Characteristics of lean, obese, and post-obese patients
| Lean (n = 20) | Obese (n = 31) | Post-obese (n = 31) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (f/m) | 15/5 | 24/7 | 24/7 | |
| Age (years) | 43 ± 9 | 42 ± 12 | 43 ± 12 | 0.89 |
| Anthropometric measurements | ||||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.5 ± 3.1* | 46.1 ± 6.3† | 31.1 ± 5.7‡ | <0.01 |
| WHR | 0.90 (0.84–0.94) | 0.91 (0.87–0.95) | 0.88 (0.85–0.92) | 0.22 |
| Metabolic parameters | ||||
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 125.0 (95.0–180.5) | 138.0 (120.5–193.5)† | 94.0 (71.5–116.5)‡ | <0.01 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 181.5 ± 34.9* | 205.0 ± 33.0† | 165.5 ± 32.3 | <0.01 |
| HDL-C (mg/dl) | 38.0 (35.3–41.8)* | 45.0 (41.0–53.0)† | 51.0 (45.5–55.5)‡ | <0.01 |
| LDL-C (mg/dl) | 116.3 (90.7–124.1)* | 134.0 (102.5–140.0)† | 90.8 (81.4–104.1)‡ | <0.01 |
| ALT (U/l) | 14.0 (10.5–24.5)* | 27.0 (21.0–35.5)† | 19.5 (15.3–24.8)‡ | <0.01 |
| GGT (U/l) | 23.0 (16.0–38.0)* | 39.0 (22.0–50.0)† | 16.0 (11.0–27.0)# | <0.01 |
| Fasting glucose (mg/dl) | 95.6 ± 15.9 | 94.4 ± 9.8† | 77.8 ± 8.1‡ | <0.01 |
| Insulin (μU/ml) | 8.0 (2.5–15.6)* | 17.1 (6.2–30.8)† | 2.0 (2.0–4.0)‡ | <0.01 |
| C-peptide (ng/ml) | 0.5 (0.1–0.8)* | 3.9 (2.9–4.7)† | 1.9 (1.4–2.3)‡ | <0.01 |
| HOMA-IR | 2.0 (0.5–3.2)* | 4.0 (1.4–7.8)† | 0.4 (0.4–0.9)‡ | <0.01 |
| CRP (mg/dl) | 0.10 (0.08–0.23)* | 0.89 (0.36–1.16)† | 0.2 (0.1–0.3) | <0.01 |
| Myostatin (ng/ml) | 2.7 (2.1–3.4)* | 3.8 (2.5–4.5)† | 2.9 (2.3–3.6) | 0.03 |
| HbA1c (%) | 5.5 ± 0.4 | 5.3 ± 0.3 | <0.01 | |
| IL-6 (pg/ml) | 3.2 (2.3–4.6) | 1.4 (1.0–1.7) | <0.01 | |
| Adiponectin (μg/ml) | 7.4 ± 2.8 | 11.2 ± 5.0 | <0.01 | |
| TNF (pg/ml) | 2.7 ± 0.9 | 1.8 ± 0.6 | <0.01 | |
| IGF1 (ng/ml) | 108.0 (95.0–125.5) | 127.0 (85.8–188.3) | 0.06 | |
| Albumin (mg/dl) | 41.7 ± 2.4 | 41.2 ± 2.8 | 0.22 | |
Values are depicted as mean ± SD or median (IQR). Statistical significance was calculated by one-way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc test or Kruskal-Wallis rank sum with Dunn’s multiple comparison test as appropriate and for HbA1c, IL-6, adiponectin, and TNF by paired t test or Wilcoxon signed rank test for paired samples
ALT alanine transaminase, CRP C-reactive protein, GGT gamma-glutamyl-transferase, HbA1c hemoglobin A1c, HDL-C high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HOMA-IR homeostatic model assessment–insulin resistance, LDL-C low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, WHR waist to hip ratio
*Lean vs obese = p < 0.05
†Obese vs post-obese = p < 0.05
‡Lean vs post-obese = p < 0.05
#Lean vs post-obese = p = 0.52