The Differences in Blood Levels of Lipids, Adipokines, and Proinflammatory Cytokines Among Normal, Overweight, and Obese Korean Women

Obesity can be characterized as a metabolic disorder and/or a state of chronic low-grade inflammation. This low-grade inflammation is associated with high blood levels of lipids, adipokines, and cytokines which contribute to the development of obesity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the blood levels of lipids, adipokines, and proinflammatory cytokines as prognostic indicators of obesity-related chronic diseases in normal, overweight, and obese Korean women. Sixty women were recruited from Kyung Hee University Medical Center (Seoul, Korea) and categorized according to their body mass index (BMI) into normal weight (BMI <23 kg/m(2)), overweight (BMI 23-25 kg/m(2)), and obese (BMI >25 kg/m(2)) groups. Anthropometric data, blood levels of lipids, adipokines, and proinflammatory cytokines were compared among the 3 groups. We found that subjects in the obese group had the highest levels of triglycerides and LDL-C along with the lowest levels of H.DL-C (P < 0.05). Leptin levels in the obese subject group were significantly higher. Adiponectin levels in the obese subject group were significantly lower (P < 0.05). Overweight and obese subjects had significantly higher concentrations of TNF-alpha compared with normal weight subjects (P < 0.05). Obese subjects had significantly higher concentrations of IFN-gamma compared with normal weight and overweight subjects (P < 0.05). Plasma levels of IL-1 beta and IL-6 were not different among the 3 groups. We confirmed that high levels of leptin and low levels of adiponectin were associated with the degree of obesity. Furthermore, high levels of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma were also associated with the degree of obesity,