Abstract
Backgroud
This study aimed to explore the associations of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) with insulin resistance (IR) and abdominal obesity among children and adolescents.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 612 young individuals, aged 7 to 18 years in Tianjin City, China. LC-MS metabolomic analysis was used to measure LPCs levels. The Homeostasis Model Assessment was used to estimate IR. Waist circumference measurements were used to assess abdominal obesity. Logistic regression models were employed to explore the relationships between LPCs and IR and abdominal obesity. Mediation analyses were performed to analyze whether LPCs affected IR through abdominal obesity.
Results
Compared to their counterparts, five specific LPCs were significantly different in youth with IR. The levels of LPC 24:0 and 26:0 were significantly associated with IR after adjustment. Both decreased levels of LPC 24:0 and 26:0 associated with the increased risks of IR (OR: 0.64, 95%CI: 0.38–0.95; OR: 0.66, 95%CI: 0.40–1.00), and the ORs for abdominal obesity were 0.68 (95%CI: 0.38–1.00) and 0.51 (95%CI: 0.28–0.90), respectively. Mediation analysis indicated that abdominal obesity mediated the association between LPC 26:0 and IR, with a total effect (c) of −0.109 (P < 0.05), a direct effect (c’) of −0.055 (P > 0.05), and an indirect effect through obesity (a × b) path with “a” of −0.125 (P < 0.05) and “b” of 0.426 (P < 0.05).
Conclusion
Overall findings suggest that decreased levels of LPC 24:0 and 26:0 were associated with increased risks of IR and abdominal obesity. Importantly, addressing abdominal obesity may mediate the impact of IR driven by LPC 26:0.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank all the physicians, nurses and research staff at the Tianjin Medical University General Hospital who participated in the study and extended their support for data collection. This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFA1301202), General hospital Clinical research project (22ZYYLCCG03), Tianjin Key Medical Discipline (Specialty) Construction Project (TJWJ2022XK008, TJYXZDXK-068C), Tianjin Science and Technology Plan Project (22KPHDRC00120), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No: 82200932, 82273676, 32400963 & 92357305).
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J.L., S.M., and X.Z. substantially contributed to the conception and design of the work. X.-Y.Z., Z.F., X.L., X.H., and Z.-H.Z. substantially contributed to acquisition of the data. X.-Y.Z., J.L., and H.L. analyzed the data and drafted the article. C.-Y.L., T.A., Y.W., and X.K. revised the article critically for important intellectual content. All authors edited the final version of the manuscript. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
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The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Tianjin Medical University General Hospital. Written informed consent for participation was not required for this study in accordance with the national legislation and the institutional requirements.
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Zhang, X., Liu, H., Li, C. et al. Abdominal obesity in youth: the associations of plasma Lysophophatidylcholine concentrations with insulin resistance. Pediatr Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-024-03652-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-024-03652-z
