Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Over the last decade there has been a steady rise in obesity and co-morbidity, but little is known about the rate of metabolic dysfunction among young adults in the United Arab Emirates. Various factors have been implicated as biomarkers of metabolic syndrome (MetS). The objective of this study was to analyze the relationships of various biomarkers (leptin, C-reactive protein (CRP), adiponectin, insulin, and uric acid) to the MetS components in lean, overweight, and obese young females.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 69 apparently healthy young females, who were classified according to their body mass index (BMI) (kg/m²) into three groups: lean (≤25), overweight (>25 and <30), and obese (≥30). Estimated biomarkers were: leptin, insulin, adiponectin, high-sensitivity (hs)-CRP, uric acid, blood sugar, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG).

Anthropometric measures, blood pressure, and homeostasis model assessment–insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were also measured.

Results: Serum leptin, hs-CRP, insulin, and uric acid increased significantly (P<0.01) with increased BMI. Only one significant correlation (P<0.05) between the biomarkers and the MetS components was found in lean subjects (leptin versus waist circumference r=0.48) as opposed to six in the obese group (hs-CRP versus waist circumference and systolic blood pressure, r=0.45 and r=−0.41, respectively; insulin versus diastolic blood pressure, r=0.47; adiponectin versus blood sugar, r=−0.44; and uric acid versus waist circumference and TG, r=0.5 and r=0.51, respectively).

Conclusion: Estimation of the levels of studied biomarkers could be an important tool for early detection of MetS before the appearance of its frank components. Uric acid seems to be the most reliable biomarker to identify obese subjects with MetS.