Published online May 15, 2020. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v11.i5.193
Peer-review started: January 1, 2020
First decision: January 15, 2020
Revised: March 24, 2020
Accepted: March 28, 2020
Article in press: March 28, 2020
Published online: May 15, 2020
Processing time: 130 Days and 20.5 Hours
Obesity and diabetes are associated with high levels of oxidative stress. In Romanian patients with obesity and (or) diabetes, this association has not been sufficiently explored.
To evaluate oxidative stress in obese and (or) diabetic subjects and to investigate the possible correlations between oxidative stress and anthropometric/biochemical parameters.
Oxidative stress was evaluated from a single drop of capillary blood. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were evaluated using the free oxygen radical test (FORT). The free oxygen radical defence (FORD) assay was used to measure antioxidant levels.
FORT levels were higher in obese subjects (3.04 ± 0.36 mmol/L H2O2) vs controls (2.03 ± 0.14 mmol/L H2O2) (P < 0.0001). FORD levels were lower in obese subjects (1.27 ± 0.13 mmol/L Trolox) vs controls (1.87 ± 1.20 mmol/L Trolox) (P = 0.0072). Obese diabetic subjects had higher FORT values (3.16 ± 0.39 mmol/L H2O2) vs non-diabetic counterparts (2.99 ± 0.33 mmol/L H2O2) (P = 0.0233). In obese subjects, FORT values correlated positively with body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.48, P = 0.0000), waist circumference (WC) (r = 0.31, P = 0.0018), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (r = 0.31, P = 0.0017), total cholesterol (TC) (r = 0.27, P = 0.0068) and uric acid (r = 0.36, P = 0.0001). FORD values correlated negatively with BMI (r = -0.43, P = 0.00001), WC (r = -0.28, P = 0.0049), FPG (r = -0.25, P = 0.0130), TC (r = -0.23, P = 0.0198) and uric acid (r = -0.35, P = 0.0002). In obese diabetic subjects, FORT values correlated positively with BMI (r = 0.49, P = 0.0034) and TC (r = 0.54, P = 0.0217). FORD values were negatively associated with BMI (r = -0.54, P = 0.0217) and TC (r = -0.58, P = 0.0121).
Oxidative stress levels, as measured by the FORT and FORD assays, were higher in obese subjects vs controls. ROS levels were elevated in diabetic obese patients vs obese non-diabetic patients and controls.
Core tip: Oxidative stress is involved in obesity, diabetes, and subsequently, diabesity (the co-occurrence of obesity and diabetes). In our study, oxidative stress levels were increased in patients with obesity, diabetes and diabesity. We suggest that the free oxygen radical test and the free oxygen radical defence assays are useful in evaluating the levels of oxidative stress in obesity, diabetes and diabesity. In this study, free oxygen radical test and free oxygen radical defence values also correlated with anthropometric and laboratory parameters in patients with obesity, diabetes and diabesity.