Age-related characteristics of metabolic phenotypes and proinflammatory status in patients with normal and overweight body mass

The metabolic profile and proinflammatory status of young patients and their age-related dynamics are often underestimated in clinical practice, despite the fact that the early development of inflammaging processes is a predictor of cardiovascular events. The aim of our study is to assess the features of metabolic phenotypes and proinflammatory status in young normal weight and overweight adults without significant somatic pathology in 2 groups: up to 35 years and ≥35 years. A cross-sectional study included 159 individuals aged 18 to 45 years with normal and overweight body mass. In addition to standard clinical and laboratory examinations, indices reflecting metabolic disorders and pro-inflammatory status were calculated for all patients. A glucose tolerance test was performed on 61 patients, and the area under the curve (AUC) of plasma glucose levels was assessed. In the subgroup of patients aged 35 years and older, abdominal obesity was twice as common compared to patients younger than 35 years (p<0,001) at comparable body mass index. Patients in the older age group were characterized by higher fasting blood glucose levels (p=0,042), glucose levels 1 hour (p=0,011) and 2 hours (p=0,020) after a standard carbohydrate load, as well as a higher prevalence of dyslipidemia (p=0,001), while no significant differences in pro-inflammatory status were identified. Using a decision tree, the characteristics of metabolic phenotypes in the two age subgroups were determined, taking into account the presence of abdominal obesity and plasma glucose AUC characteristics. Thus, in patients aged 35 years and older, subclinical disorders of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, as well as abdominal obesity, play a significant role in the development of a metabolically «unhealthy» phenotype. This phenotype is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and indicates early subclinical aging.