Associations between blood lipid and inflammatory biomarkers and obesity in university students

Abstract

Obesity is an inflammatory disease. We aimed to explore the relationships between blood lipid and inflammatory biomarkers and obesity in university students. This cross‐sectional study included 110 university students from Texas Tech University. Serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were measured by using enzymatic methods. Plasma concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, C‐reactive protein (CRP), interleukin‐6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Higher body mass index (BMI) was associated with increased blood concentrations of CRP, leptin, and triglyceride (only in males) and decreased blood adiponectin concentrations in university students. Higher BMI was associated with slightly increased blood cholesterol concentrations in males. Female students had significantly higher blood concentrations of leptin, adiponectin, and CRP than male students. Blood inflammatory biomarkers, especially leptin and CRP, provide more sensitive and accurate assessment than blood cholesterol and triglyceride for obesity in this population. Leptin, adiponectin and CRP are gender‐dependent inflammatory biomarkers.