Abstract
PurposeAdipokines may play an important role in the complex etiology of human obesity and its metabolic complications. Here, we analyzed the relationship between 15 adipokines, eating behavior and body-mass index (BMI).MethodsThe study included 557 participants of the Sorbs (62.1% women, 37.9% men) and 3101 participants of the population-based LIFE-Adult cohorts (53.4% women, 46.4% men) who completed the German version of the Three-Factor-Eating Questionnaire to assess the eating behavior types cognitive restraint, disinhibition and hunger. Serum levels of 15 adipokines, including adiponectin, adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (AFABP), angiopoietin-related growth factor (AGF), chemerin, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-19, FGF-21, FGF-23, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, interleukin (IL) 10, irisin, progranulin, vaspin, pro-neurotensin (pro-NT), pro-enkephalin (PENK) and leptin were measured. Based on significant correlations between several adipokines with different eating behavior items and BMI, we conducted mediation analyses, considering the eating behavior items as potential mediation variable towards BMI.ResultsHere, we found that the positive association between chemerin, AFABP or leptin and BMI in Sorbian women was mediated by higher restraint or disinhibited eating, respectively. Additionally, in Sorbian women, the negative relation between IGF-1 and BMI was mediated by higher disinhibition and the positive link between AGF and BMI by lower disinhibition. In Sorbian men, the negative relationship between PENK and BMI was mediated by lower disinhibition and hunger, whereas the negative relation between IGF-1 and BMI was mediated by higher hunger. In the LIFE-Adult women´s cohort, associations between chemerin and BMI were mediated by decreased hunger or disinhibition, respectively, whereas relations between PENK and BMI were fully mediated by decreased disinhibition.ConclusionOur study suggests that adipokines such as PENK, IGF-1, chemerin, AGF, AFABP and leptin might affect the development of obesity by directly modifying individual eating behavior. Given the observational nature of the study, future experimental or mechanistic work is warranted.
Highlights
The global prevalence of overweight and obesity is continuously increasing and has become one of the major global health burdens [1]
The abolished anorexigenic effect of progranulin further leads to increased appetite and food intake [14]. These studies comprised several limitations within the single study designs like small sample sizes and the inclusion of subjects with comorbidities like diabetes mellitus which themselves could possibly bias the outcome. To overcome these limitations and to improve the understanding of the relationships between adipokines and eating behavior in the pathophysiology of obesity, the present study investigated the associations between 15 adipokines supposed to be involved in peripheral as well as central regulatory mechanisms (adiponectin, adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (AFABP), angiopoietin-related growth factor (AGF), chemerin, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-19, FGF-21, FGF-23, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, interleukin (IL) 10, irisin, progranulin, vaspin, pro-neurotensin, pro-enkephalin (PENK) and leptin) and eating behavior assessed by the German version of the self-rating Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire (TFEQ) in two metabolically well-characterized cohorts: the LIFE-Adult (N = 3,101) [15] and the Sorbs cohort (N = 557) [16]
Comparing the eight overlapping traits which were available in both cohorts and which were analyzed within this study, we found the same effects in both cohorts for increased body-mass index (BMI) and higher age in male subjects and increased disinhibition scores, and lower PENK levels in both genders (Tables 7 and 8)
Summary
The global prevalence of overweight and obesity is continuously increasing and has become one of the major global health burdens [1]. Compared to people with normal weight, patients with overweight and obesity suffer more frequently from metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension, resulting in an elevated risk for coronary heart disease, pulmonary diseases, stroke, obstructive sleep apnea and different types of cancer [2]. Some pharmacotherapies, endocrine and mental disorders contribute to an increased risk of obesity [3]. It has been recognized that adipose tissue is an energy storage, and an endocrine organ producing hundreds of secretory proteins, so-called adipokines, which are involved in a variety of biological processes [4]. Adipokines are bioactive peptides secreted by adipose tissue and interacting with various organs, e.g. the brain, vasculature, muscle, pancreas and liver. Central actions of adipokines include the regulation of appetite and eating behavior, insulin secretion, inflammation, lipid metabolism, blood pressure or reproduction [5]
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