title: The association between hematological parameters and insulin resistance is modified by body mass index - results from the North-East Italy MoMa population study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Increments in red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (Ht) levels are reportedly associated with higher insulin resistance (IR). Obesity may cause IR, but underlying factors remain incompletely defined, and interactions between obesity, hematological parameters and IR are incompletely understood. We therefore determined whether: 1) BMI and obesity per se are independently associated with higher RBC, hemoglobin and hematocrit; 2) hematological parameters independently predict insulin resistance in obese individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the associations between BMI, hematological parameters and insulin resistance as reflected by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) in a general population cohort from the North-East Italy MoMa epidemiological study (M/F = 865/971, age = 49 ± 1).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all subjects, age-, sex- and smoking-adjusted hematological parameters were positively associated with BMI in linear regression (P<0.05), but not after adjustment for HOMA or waist circumference (WC) and potential metabolic confounders. No associations were found between hematological parameters and BMI in lean, overweight or obese subgroups. Associations between hematological parameters and HOMA were conversely independent of BMI in all subjects and in lean and overweight subgroups (P<0.01), but not in obese subjects alone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a North-East Italy general population cohort, obesity per se is not independently associated with altered RBC, Hb and Ht, and the association between BMI and hematological parameters is mediated by their associations with abdominal fat and insulin resistance markers. High hematological parameters could contribute to identify insulin resistance in non-obese individual, but they do not appear to be reliable insulin resistance biomarkers in obese subjects.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Rocco
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barazzoni
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gortan Cappellari
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Semolic
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chendi
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ius
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Situlin
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanetti
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Pierandrea
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vinci
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guarnieri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit; D006403:Hematologic Tests; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006454:Hemoglobins; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol