Abstract
Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults. The relationships between γ-GT and cardiometabolic dysregulation remains unclear in adolescents. We enrolled 7,072 Taiwanese adolescents and followed them for a median of 6.8 years. The optimal cut-off values (CoVs) of baseline γ-GT to predict future MetS, hypertension (HTN), and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were determined by receiving operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Using these CoVs, the participants were divided into normal- and high-level groups. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for the subjects with a high level of γ-GT for the risk of future cardiometabolic dysregulation. Serum γ-GT was significantly higher in the subjects with MetS than in those without MetS at baseline (p < 0.001). The optimal CoVs of γ-GT were 12 U/L for boys and 11 U/L for girls. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, a higher serum γ-GT level increased the risk of future MetS (HRs 1.98 and 2.85 for boys and girls, respectively, both p < 0.001), but not new onset HTN and T2DM. In conclusion, serum γ-GT levels not only demonstrated an excellent correlation with the presence of MetS and also in predicting future MetS in adolescents.
Highlights
Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults
The results of this study revealed that the adolescents with MetS had higher γ-GT levels, and a significant association between γ-GT and MetS, waist circumference (WC) and TG
In accordance with this hypothesis, our longitudinal results over a median follow-up period of 6.8 years indicated that a high serum γ-GT level was an independent predictor for future MetS in adolescents
Summary
Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adults. Obese adolescents are likely to stay obese into adulthood and are more likely to develop non-communicable diseases such as metabolic syndrome (MetS), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD)[3,4,5,6,7] Since these diseases are included in the top ten leading causes of death in Taiwan[8], the early recognition of adolescents at high risk of future cardiometabolic dysregulation and prevention of associated morbidity and mortality are critical public health issues[9, 10]. The role of γ-GT in future cardiometabolic dysregulation is uncertain in adolescents This longitudinal study aimed to evaluate the relationships between baseline γ-GT levels and MetS and its component, and to assess whether optimal cut-off values (CoVs) of γ-GT can predict future MetS, hypertension (HTN) and T2DM in adolescents
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