Table 3.
Sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics, metabolic profile, and circulating levels of Sirt4 in obese individuals grouped on the basis of the adherence to the Mediterranean diet.
| Parameters | Obese Low adherence MD n = 16 |
Obese Average adherence MD n = 27 |
p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 38.1 ± 3.4 | 35.9 ± 7.7 | 0.356 |
| Gender M/F | 8/8 | 11/16 | 0.784 |
| Anthropometric measurement | |||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 52.0 ± 3.4 | 42.4 ± 2.9 | <0.001 |
| WC males (cm) | 151.1 ± 9.8 | 136.8 ± 11.6 | 0.012 |
| WC females (cm) | 144.4 ± 17.1 | 125.4 ± 15.4 | 0.012 |
| Metabolic profile | |||
| Circulating levels of Sirt4 (ng/mL) | 0.16 (0.10–0.29) | 1.33 (0.11–5.56) | <0.001 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 136.0 ± 12.4 | 127.4 ± 10.7 | 0.022 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 85.0 (70.0–100.0) | 80.0 (60.0–95.0) | 0.090 |
| Fasting glucose (mg/dL) | 109.0 (73.0–143.0) | 94.0 (68.0–193.0) | 0.004 |
| Insulin (μU/mL) | 36.1 ± 7.9 | 26.7 ± 8.5 | 0.001 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 211.1 ± 31.9 | 179.4 ± 27.4 | 0.003 |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 36.8 ± 6.1 | 51.3 ± 11.1 | <0.001 |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 134.9 ± 23.0 | 102.8 ± 26.5 | <0.001 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 171.5 (89.0–380.0) | 101.0 (49.0–283.0) | 0.015 |
| ALT (U/L) | 38.0 (12.0–91.0) | 32.0 (13.0–99.0) | 0.439 |
| AST (U/L) | 25.0 (12.0–52.0) | 23.0 (10.0–91.0) | 0.793 |
| γGT (U/L) | 30.0 (12.0–61.0) | 30.5 (14.0–101.0) | 0.776 |
| Metabolic indices | |||
| HoMA-IR | 10.0 ± 3.0 | 6.4 ± 2.4 | <0.001 |
| VAI | 8.5 (3.3–17.3) | 4.7 (1.6–15.8) | 0.003 |
| HS evaluation | |||
| HS (grade 1/2/3) | 0/1/15 | 4/9/14 | <0.001 |
| FLI | 99.9 (98.8–100.0) | 98.7 (80.3–99.9) | <0.001 |
Obese individuals with low adherence to the MD exhibited statistically significant differences in anthropometric measurements, metabolic profile, metabolic indices, and HS evaluation compared with average adherer counterpart. No differences were observed in age and male-to-female ratio. Results are expressed as mean ± standard deviation or as median plus range according to variable distributions evaluated by Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. Differences between groups were analyzed by unpaired Student's t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test, when appropriate. The chi2 (χ2) test was used to test the significance of differences between the two groups. p value indicates comparison between those with low adherence versus those with average adherence to the MD. A p value in bold type denotes a significant difference (p < 0.05). MD: Mediterranean diet; BMI: body mass index; WC: waist circumference; Sirt4: sirtuin 4; SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; AST: aspartate aminotransferase; γGT: gamma glutamyl transferase: HoMA-IR: homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance; VAI: visceral adiposity index; HS: hepatic steatosis; FLI: fatty liver index.