Plasma metabolomics reveals progressive alterations across glycemic states

Table 1 Clinical characteristics of participants across the four study groups, n (%)/median (interquartile range)

Item	Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D	P value
n	50	50	50	50
Male (%)	19 (38)	28 (56)	26 (52)	30 (60)	0.133
Age (years)	47.00 (42.00, 55.50)	52.50 (40.50, 56.25)	45.00 (40.00, 56.00)	53.00 (46.00, 58.25)	0.1
BMI (kg/m²)	24.50 (22.15, 27.25)	24.30 (22.83, 26.65)	24.90 (22.80, 26.90)	25.90 (23.50, 28.70)	0.161
WC (cm)	86.75 (78.50, 94.00)	88.50 (80.90, 93.00)	90.00 (81.25, 94.40)	91.25 (86.92, 98.50)	0.057
SBP (mmHg)	117.00 (113.00, 124.50)	119.50 (111.25, 132.00)	119.00 (110.00, 131.00)	127.00 (123.00, 137.00)	0.001
DBP (mmHg)	75.00 (69.50, 82.00)	76.50 (70.25, 85.75)	80.00 (71.00, 85.00)	82.00 (75.00, 89.00)	0.033
ALT (U/L)	20.00 (15.00, 27.50)	21.50 (17.00, 31.50)	22.00 (16.00, 34.50)	29.00 (20.75, 42.00)	0.02
AST (U/L)	20.00 (17.50, 26.00)	21.00 (18.00, 26.00)	19.50 (17.00, 25.75)	22.50 (19.75, 27.00)	0.16
BUN (mmol/L)	4.77 (3.73, 5.52)	4.93 (4.62, 6.10)	4.64 (4.06, 6.01)	4.85 (3.92, 5.58)	0.53
Cr (μmol/L)	61.30 (55.35, 78.00)	73.45 (58.02, 82.70)	65.55 (58.92, 73.92)	67.45 (58.35, 73.55)	0.356
TC (mmol/L)	4.98 (4.42, 5.94)	4.84 (4.30, 5.53)	5.04 (4.54, 5.73)	4.81 (4.38, 5.47)	0.399
TG (mmol/L)	1.23 (0.94, 1.64)	1.33 (0.92, 1.76)	1.56 (1.15, 2.04)	1.85 (1.19, 2.62)	0.001
HDL-C (mmol/L)	1.38 (1.23, 1.56)	1.23 (1.08, 1.52)	1.21 (1.10, 1.46)	1.17 (1.06, 1.44)	0.003
LDL-C (mmol/L)	3.13 (2.61, 3.83)	3.00 (2.62, 3.54)	3.10 (2.59, 3.71)	2.96 (2.71, 3.53)	0.795
HbA1c [% (mmol/mol)]	5.6 (5.2, 5.7), 38 (33, 39)	5.9 (5.6, 6.0), 41 (38, 42)	5.7 (5.4, 5.8), 39 (36, 40)	6.2 (6.0, 6.6), 44 (42, 48)	< 0.001
FPG (mmol/L)	5.63 (5.31, 5.88)	6.58 (6.35, 6.73)	5.57 (5.24, 5.79)	6.83 (6.33, 7.51)	< 0.001
Fasting insulin (μIU/mL)	7.71 (6.19, 10.69)	9.82 (7.44, 12.74)	10.56 (6.92, 14.61)	13.67 (9.63, 20.68)	< 0.001
2-h PG (mmol/L)	6.81 (6.19, 7.49)	6.94 (6.17, 7.41)	9.52 (8.82, 10.66)	12.72 (12.07, 15.38)	< 0.001
HOMA-IR	2.01 (1.50, 2.66)	2.89 (2.13, 3.88)	2.50 (1.59, 3.89)	4.18 (2.63, 6.66)	< 0.001

Group A: Normal glucose tolerance; Group B: Isolated impaired fasting glucose; Group C: Isolated impaired glucose tolerance; Group D: Diabetes. Categorical variables are presented as n (%), and continuous variables are presented as median (interquartile range). Comparisons among groups were performed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test for continuous variables and the χ² test or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables. A two-sided P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. BMI: Body mass index; WC: Waist circumference; SBP: Systolic blood pressure; DBP: Diastolic blood pressure; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; BUN: Blood urea nitrogen; Cr: Creatinine; TC: Total cholesterol; TG: Triglycerides; HDL-C: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HbA1c: Glycated hemoglobin; FPG: Fasting plasma glucose; 2-h PG: 2-hour plasma glucose; HOMA-IR: Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance.