title: Individuals with Metabolically Healthy Overweight/Obesity Have Higher Fat Utilization than Metabolically Unhealthy Individuals.
abstract: The mechanisms underlying the change in phenotype from metabolically healthy to metabolically unhealthy obesity are still unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate whether a difference in fasting fat utilization exists between overweight/obese individuals with a favorable cardiovascular risk profile and those with Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, we sought to explore whether there is an association between fasting fat utilization and insulin resistance. In this cross-sectional study, 172 overweight/obese individuals underwent a nutritional assessment. Those with fasting glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL or antidiabetic treatment were considered to be diabetics. If at least three of the NCEP criteria were present, they had Metabolic Syndrome, while those with less criteria were considered to be healthy overweight/obese. An indirect calorimetry was performed to estimate Respiratory Quotient, an index of nutrient utilization. A lower Respiratory Quotient (i.e., higher fat utilization) was found in healthy overweight/obese individuals than in those with Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 diabetes (0.85 ± 0.05; 0.87 ± 0.06; 0.88 ± 0.05 respectively, p = 0.04). The univariate and multivariable analysis showed a positive association between the Respiratory Quotient and HOMA-IR (slope in statistic (B) = 0.004; β = 0.42; p = 0.005; 95% Confidence interval = 0.001-0.006). In this study, we find, for the first time, that the fasting Respiratory Quotient is significantly lower (fat utilization is higher) in individuals who are metabolically healthy overweight/obese than in those with metabolically unhealthy obesity. In addition, we demonstrated the association between fat utilization and HOMA-IR, an insulin resistance index.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Science, University Magna Grecia, Catanzaro 88100, Italy. pujia@unicz.it.
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pujia
authors.affiliation: Clinical Institute "Beato Matteo", Vigevano 27029, Italy. c.gazzaruso@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gazzaruso
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Science, University Magna Grecia, Catanzaro 88100, Italy. yferro@unicz.it.
authors.forename: Yvelise
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ferro
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Science, University Magna Grecia, Catanzaro 88100, Italy. elisamazza@inwind.it.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Science, University Magna Grecia, Catanzaro 88100, Italy. samabiotec@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maurotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Science, University Magna Grecia, Catanzaro 88100, Italy. cristina_russo_cr@libero.it.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Science, University Magna Grecia, Catanzaro 88100, Italy. veronicalazzaro09@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lazzaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Science, University Magna Grecia, Catanzaro 88100, Italy. romeo@unicz.it.|Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden. romeo@unicz.it.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Romeo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Science, University Magna Grecia, Catanzaro 88100, Italy. tmontalcini@unicz.it.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Montalcini
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002153:Calorimetry, Indirect; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005223:Fats / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D000067329:Obesity, Metabolically Benign / Q000378:metabolism*; D050177:Overweight; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D005223:Fats; D007328:Insulin
keywords: Metabolic Syndrome; diabetes; fat utilization; metabolically unhealthy Obesity; nutrition assessment; obesity