Study of post-nutrition dynamics hormone concentrations in metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese patients

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a pathology that highly contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Meanwhile, different obesity phenotypes have varying levels of risk, and the indication of early predictors that can help determine the likelihood of developing cardiometabolic disorders is an important task. Since obesity is characterized by excessive energy intake, hormones involved in energy homeostasis (leptin and other adipokines, ghrelin, incretins) can be considered as serious candidates for the role of such predictors. The profile of changes in their level in the post-­nutrition status testifies in favor of the development of resistance not only to insulin, but also to leptin, and to ghrelin, and, possibly, to incretins.AIM: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the dynamics of the level of hormones involved in energy homeostasis in a sample with a standard carbohydrate breakfast and metabolic health.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Metabolic parameters (including НОМА-IR and НОМА-B, lipid profile, glucose level, blood pressure) were assessed in 90 obese patients (BMI 37.31±4.83 kg/m2). Additionally, biomarkers such as adiponectin, CRP were measured. Levels of leptin, ghrelin, GLP1 and GIP were assessed before and 60 minutes after a standard carbohydrate breakfast. These hormone levels were classified depending on the nature of the changes, considering the physiological dynamics described in the literature in healthy people or not. Patients were divided into groups of metabolically healthy and ­metabolically unhealthy obesity, first using the most commonly known criteria (Meigs et al.), then based on the criteria discussed in the literature for perfectly healthy obesity, in which there are no metabolic disorders.RESULTS: The analysis revealed that patients without metabolic disorders had a ghrelin level profile similar to that in healthy people without obesity, while patients with at least one of the manifestations of the metabolic syndrome showed evidence of ghrelin resistance (the level of ghrelin on an empty stomach was reduced, and after food it was not adequately reduced). Adiponectin levels were normal in metabolically healthy patients. Incretin levels showed unidirectional changes in obesity, regardless of metabolic status. The level of CRP did not differ between the groups. The glycemic level was significantly lower in metabolically healthy patients (the group was characterized by normal insulin levels and had a lower degree of insulin resistance).CONCLUSION: The data obtained allow us to consider ghrelin resistance as an early and rather sensitive indicator of the development of metabolic disorders in obesity.