Abdominal obesity in youth: the associations of plasma Lysophophatidylcholine concentrations with insulin resistance

This study aimed to explore the associations of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) with insulin resistance (IR) and abdominal obesity among children and adolescents.

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.

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).

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.