Subclinical inflammation is implicated in cardio-metabolic conditions such as impaired glucose metabolism, diabetes, and hypertension. Neutrophils are first line of immune defense call and play a role in systemic inflammation. We therefore hypothesized that neutrophil quantity will be positively associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors among individuals without diabetes.

Purpose: This study sought to determine the relevance of neutrophil count as a biomarker for cardio-metabolic health.

Methods: Forty participants without diabetes (11 males, 29 females; age 28.4±10.7 years; BMI 28.2±6.0 kg/m2, fasting blood glucose 97.28±11.09 mg/dL) participated in the study. Following overnight fasting, participants’ blood pressure and resting heart rate were measured, and venous blood draw was performed. All participants completed a 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test with 75g glucose drink. Hematological and serum chemistry analyses were performed. Body composition was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was computed from standard equations. Spearman’s correlation was performed to determine relationship between neutrophil count and markers of cardio-metabolic health.

Results: Neutrophil count is positively correlated with resting heart (r=0.5, p=0.004), triglycerides (r=0.5, p=0.002), triglycerides-HDL ratio (r=0.5, p=0.002), VLDL (r=0.5, p=0.001), Globulin (r=0.3, p=0.03), BUN/creatinine ratio (r=0.5, p=0.0004), fasting insulin (r=0.7, p=0.004), fasting blood glucose (r=0.5, p=0.0008), 2-hour OGTT glucose (r=0.5, p=0.003), glucose area under the curve (r=0.5, p=0.0001), percent body fat (r=0.6, p=0.0003), HOMA-IR (r=0.6, p=0.008) and negatively correlated with albumin/globulin ratio (r=-0.4, p=0.01), HDL (r=-0.3, p=0.04).

Conclusion: Neutrophil count is a biomarker for cardio-metabolic health risk factors in a population without diabetes.

Disclosure

J.Labadah: None. J.Apaflo: None. G.Narvaez: None. V.M.Rocha: None. A.Mossayebi: None. S.Bajpeyi: None.

Funding

The University of Texas at El Paso

© 2023 by the American Diabetes Association
2023
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