Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) is an enterokine derived from the ileum, and synthesized in response to release of bile acids following food ingestion. It was proposed to be an important regulator of the postprandial adaptive metabolic response. by stimulating glycogen and protein synthesis in the liver, and down regulating glucose production after a meal. There is limited research investigating the association between FG-19 and metabolic dysregulation in overweight and obese Saudi subjects.

Aim: To study association of circulating FGF 19 in healthy individuals of different BMI grades, with some cardiometabolic risk indicators.

Subjects and methods: Healthy adults aged 19–36 years were recruited. Height, and weight were measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). Sixty males and 60 females were included in the study, divided equally between BMI categories (underweight, normal, overweight and obese). Waist, hip, and neck circumference (WC, HC, NC) were measured. Glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), insulin, FGF19 and highly sensitive CRP (hs-CRP) were estimated in fasting serum samples, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were calculated.

Results: No significant correlation (P=0.457), or difference in means of FGF19 was noted between different BMI categories (P=0.905). A negative significant correlation was found between FGF19 and WC, NC, and LDL-C: HDL-C ratio (r=−0.203, P=0.027, r=−0.297, P=0.002, r=−0.187, P=0.041 respectively).

Conclusions: Serum FGF19 levels do not appear to be related to general obesity expressed as BMI. However, it was found to be associated negatively with indicators of abdominal, and upper torso obesity, reported to be associated with increased cardiometabolic risk, indicating the relationship of FGF19 with this risk. The strong correlation between FGF19 and serum LDL-C:HDL-C;a well established indicator of cardiometabolic risk; validate the link further.