The association between fat distribution and α1-acid glycoprotein levels among adult females in the United States

Abstract

Abstract Background Visceral fat accumulation and obesity-induced chronic inflammation have been proposed as early markers for multiple disease states, especially in women. Nevertheless, the potential impact of fat distribution on α1-acid glycoprotein(AGP), a marker of inflammation, remains unclear. This research was conducted to investigate the relationships among obesity, fat distribution, and AGP levels. Methods A cross-sectional observational study was performed using blood samples from adult females recruited through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2015 to 2018. Serum levels of AGP were measured using the Tina-quant α-1-Acid Glycoprotein Gen.2 assay. Based on the fat distribution data obtained from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry assessments, body mass index (BMI), total percent fat (TPF), android percent fat (APF), gynoid percent fat (GPF), android fat/gynoid fat ratio (AGR), visceral percent fat (VPF), subcutaneous percent fat (SPF), visceral fat/subcutaneous fat ratio (VSR) were used as dependent variables. To investigate the link between fat distribution and AGP, multivariate linear regression analysis was utilized. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was also performed. Results The present study included 2,295 participants. After adjusting for covariates, BMI, TPF, APF, GPF, VPF, and SPF were found to be positively correlated with AGP levels (BMI: β = 23.65 95%CI:20.90–26.40; TPF: β = 25.91 95%CI:23.02–28.80; APF: β = 25.21 95%CI:22.49–27.93; GPF: β = 19.65 95%CI:16.96–22.34; VPF: β = 12.49 95%CI:9.08–15.90; SPF: β = 5.69, 95%CI:2.89–8.49; AGR: β = 21.14 95%CI:18.16–24.12; VSR: β = 9.35 95%CI:6.11–12.59, all P < 0.0001). All the above indicators exhibited a positive dose–response relationship with AGP. In terms of fat distribution, both AGR and VSR showed positive associations with AGP (P for trend < 0.0001). In particular, when compared to individuals in tertile 1 of AGR, participants in tertiles 2 and 3 had 13.42 mg/dL (95% CI 10.66–16.18) and 21.14 mg/dL (95% CI 18.16–24.12) higher AGP levels, respectively. Participants in the highest tertile of VSR were more likely to exhibit a 9.35 mg/dL increase in AGP compared to those in the lowest tertile (95% CI 6.11–12.59). Conclusions Overall, this study revealed a positive dose-dependent relationship between fat proportion/distribution and AGP levels in women. These findings suggest that physicians can associate abnormal serum AGP and obesity with allow timely interventions.

Keywords

• α1-acid glycoprotein
• Obesity
• Fat distribution
• Inflammation