INFLAMMATORY AND ENDOTHELIAL BIOMARKER ALTERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH VISCERAL ADIPOSITY IN PREDIABETES

Abstract

Background: Dysglycemia and elevated cardiometabolic risk are characteristics of prediabetes, and persistent low-grade inflammation and visceral obesity have been identified as major factors in the development of the condition. However, little is known about the connection between visceral fat and systemic inflammatory indicators in prediabetic people, especially in South Asian communities. to examine the relationship between visceral adiposity and inflammatory biomarkers in prediabetic people versus healthy controls, such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1).

Methods: There were 192 participants in this cross-sectional study, 96 of whom had prediabetes and 96 of whom were controls who were matched for age and sex. Using bioelectrical impedance analysis, the visceral fat percentage (VF%) was determined. ELISA was used to check for adhesion molecules and cytokines in fasting blood samples. Independent t-tests were used to examine differences between groups, and Pearson's correlation was used to evaluate the relationships between VF% and inflammatory markers.Results: When compared to controls, those with prediabetes showed noticeably different inflammatory profiles. While IL-1, IL-6, hsCRP, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1 were significantly raised (all p < 0.001) with very high to extremely large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = 1.97–10.88), TNF-α levels were lower in prediabetes (10.42 ± 1.18 vs. 15.63 ± 1.35 pg/mL, p < 0.0001). All inflammatory markers, such as TNF-α (r = 0.622), IL-1 (r = 0.568), IL-6 (r = 0.583), hsCRP (r = 0.726), ICAM-1 (r = 0.709), and VCAM-1 (r = 0.591), showed positive correlations with VF% (all p < 0.001).Conclusions: In prediabetic people, visceral obesity is closely associated with endothelial activation and systemic inflammation even prior to the development of type 2 diabetes. According to these results, visceral fat is a metabolically active tissue that contributes to vascular and pro-inflammatory alterations. Early measurement of visceral fat and inflammatory biomarkers may enhance risk assessment and preventative measures in prediabetes.