Dysfunctional adiposity index as a marker of adipose tissue morpho-functional abnormalities and metabolic disorders in apparently healthy subjects

Figures & data

Figure 1. Study flowchart. 1a) GEA study. Diabetes defined as glucose >7.0 mmol/L, hypoglycaemic treatment or previous diagnosis; hypertension as self-reported treatment with antihypertensive medications or systolic/diastolic blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg; subclinical atherosclerosis as coronary artery calcium >0; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as spleen-liver attenuation ratio <1.0; and low HDL-cholesterol as values <1.03 mmol/L or <1.29 mmol/L for men or women; respectively. 1b) Study of the adipose tissue functionality. HOMA-IR: homoeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance; HDL: high-density lipoprotein

Figure 2. Correlation of dysfunctional adiposity index with functional (2a) and morphological (2b) characteristics of adipose tissue in 36 healthy subjects. * Spearman correlation coefficient, the shaded area represents the 95% confidence interval

Figure 3. Correlation of dysfunctional adiposity index with systematic inflammation markers in 36 healthy subjects. hs-CRP: high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; IL: interleukin; MCP-1: monocyte chemoatractant protein-1. * Spearman correlation coefficient, shaded area represents the 95% confidence interval

Figure 4. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to predict the homoeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) ≥2.09. AUC: area under the curve; SE: standard error; CI: confidence interval. * This represents the median value in 36 healthy subjects

Table 1. Clinical and biochemical characteristics of subjects (n = 1418) without history of coronary arterial disease

Females, n (%)	744 (52%)
Age (years)	54 ± 9
Body mass index (kg/m^2)	28 ± 4
Waist circumference (cm)	94 ± 11
Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)	72 ± 9
Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)	117 ± 18
Tobacco use, n (%)	312 (22)
Total cholesterol (mmol/L)	4.9 ± 0.9
LDL-C (mmol/L)	3.0 ± 0.7
HDL-C (mmol/L)	1.2 ± 0.3
Triglycerides (mmol/L)	1.5 (1.2–2.10)
Glucose (mmol/L)	5.3 ± 1.6
Insulin (µUI/L)	16 (12–22)
HOMA-IR	3.8 (2.6–5.5)
Dysfunctional adiposity index ≥1.065, n (%)	896 (63)

Values expressed as number (percentage), mean ± standard deviation or median (interquartile range). LDL-C: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HOMA-IR: homoeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance.

Figure 5. Association of high dysfunctional adiposity index (>1.065) with cardiometabolic abnormalities in 1418 subjects without a history of cardiovascular disease. Diabetes is defined as glucose >7.0 mmol/L, hypoglycaemic treatment or previous diagnosis; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease as spleen-liver attenuation ratio <1.0; subclinical atherosclerosis as coronary artery calcium >0, and hypertension as self-reported treatment with antihypertensive medications or systolic/diastolic blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg. * Multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted by age, sex, and tobacco use