Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the participants enrolled in the study.
| Lean | Obese NG | Obese IGT | Obese T2D | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 30 | 48 | 47 | 45 | - |
| Sex (male/female) | 16/14 | 17/31 | 17/30 | 20/25 | 0.199 |
| Age (years) | 43 ± 3 | 40 ± 2 | 44 ± 2 | 48 ± 2 b | 0.031 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.6 ± 0.5 | 44.5 ± 1.3 a | 43.2 ± 0.9 a | 45.4 ± 1.4 a | <0.0001 |
| Body fat (%) | 21.2 ± 1.4 | 50.7 ± 0.9 a | 51.0 ± 1.3 a | 50.1 ± 1.2 a | <0.0001 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 77 ± 3 | 125 ± 2 a | 125 ± 2 a | 132 ± 3 a | <0.0001 |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 87 ± 2 | 92 ± 1 | 105 ± 1 a,b | 142 ± 9 a,b | <0.0001 |
| Glucose 2-h OGTT (mg/dL) | - | 121 ± 4 | 154 ± 5 b | 250 ± 16 b | <0.0001 |
| Insulin (µU/mL) | 5.7 ± 0.6 | 20.9 ± 2.7 a | 19.6 ± 1.7 a | 26.3 ± 3.1 a | <0.0001 |
| Insulin 2-h OGTT (µU/mL) | - | 97.0 ± 9.5 | 141.1 ± 12.4 b | 133.3 ± 19.2 b | 0.034 |
| HOMA | 1.2 ± 0.1 | 4.3 ± 0.4 | 5.2 ± 0.5 a | 9.2 ± 1.7 a,b | <0.0001 |
| QUICKI | 0.38 ± 0.01 | 0.32 ± 0.01 a | 0.31 ± 0.01 a | 0.30 ± 0.01 a,b | <0.0001 |
| FFA (mmol/L) | 15.7 ± 0.1 | 16.7 ± 1.1 | 22.5 ± 2.2 | 28.9 ± 4.0 a,b | 0.001 |
| Glycerol (mg/dL) | 18.2 ± 3.5 | 19.8 ± 2.1 | 22.1 ± 2.5 | 21.9 ± 2.3 | 0.591 |
| Adipo-IR index | 20.2 ± 3.4 | 71.3 ± 7.7 | 98.9 ± 13.7 | 188.4 ± 36.3 a,b | <0.0001 |
| Triacylglycerol (mg/dL) | 70 ± 5 | 111 ± 7 a | 132 ± 11 a | 147 ± 11 a,b | <0.0001 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 186 ± 7 | 191 ± 4 | 203 ± 6 | 198 ± 6 | 0.234 |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 110 ± 6 | 118 ± 3 | 127 ± 5 | 116 ± 5 | 0.145 |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 61 ± 3 | 50 ± 4 | 49 ± 2 a | 44 ± 2 a | 0.001 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 1.8 ± 0.3 | 8.3 ± 1.1 | 9.5 ± 1.5 a | 8.8 ± 1.8 a | 0.035 |
| Uric acid (mg/dL) | 4.3 ± 0.2 | 5.7 ± 0.2 a | 5.9 ± 0.2 a | 6.0 ± 0.2 a | 0.001 |
| Leptin (ng/mL) | 6.1 ± 0.7 | 45.4 ± 3.2 a | 48.9 ± 3.6 a | 46.0 ± 5.8 a | <0.0001 |
| AST (IU/L) | 13 ± 1 | 16 ± 1 | 17 ± 1 | 17 ± 1 | 0.244 |
| ALT (IU/L) | 10 ± 2 | 21 ± 2 | 28 ± 2 a | 27 ± 2 a | <0.0001 |
| Alkaline phosphatase (IU/L) | 86 ± 5 | 68 ± 5 | 77 ± 6 | 73 ± 5 | 0.334 |
| γ-GT (IU/L) | 11 ± 1 | 21 ± 2 | 29 ± 4 a | 30 ± 4 a | 0.015 |
| Daily alcohol intake (g) | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 1.1 ± 0.9 | 3.6 ± 2.7 | 4.6 ± 2.7 | 0.576 |
| Antihypertensive therapy, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 11 (23%) | 17 (32%) | 19 (49%) | 0.003 |
| Antidiabetic therapy, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (4%) | 1 (2%) | 20 (51%) | <0.0001 |
| Lipid-lowering therapy, n (%) | 0 (0%) | 6 (13%) | 7 (15%) | 11 (28%) | 0.061 |
NG, normoglycemia; IGT, impaired glucose tolerance; T2D, type 2 diabetes; BMI, body mass index; OGTT, oral glucose tolerance test; HOMA, homeostasis model assessment; QUICKI, quantitative insulin sensitivity check index; FFA, free fatty acids; Adipo-IR, adipocyte insulin resistance index; CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; γ-GT, γ-glutamyltransferase. Differences between groups were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by a Scheffe’s test or χ2 test, where appropriate. Bold values denote statistically significant p values. a p < 0.05 vs. normal-weight individuals; b p < 0.05 vs. obese NG patients.