Inflammation and biochemical features of bariatric candidates: does gender matter?

Accumulated fat is an accepted trigger of inflammation and metabolic syndrome but specific biochemical associations in males and females are still debated. In a prospective study, multiple variables were analyzed to search for gender-related correlations.

Bariatric candidates (n = 94) were consecutively investigated. Age was 34.9 ± 10.4 years (68.1% females) and body mass index (BMI) was 40.8 ± 4.6 kg/m(2). Methods included anthropometrics, inflammatory indices (C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), ferritin) and general biochemical profile.

Ferritin, but not CRP or WBC, was substantially more elevated in males. Serum albumin, uric acid, creatinine, and liver enzymes AST and ALT were also higher in men. Even after BMI was adjusted, all differences remained significant, and several, notably ferritin, withstood waist circumference control. Ferritin and CRP correlated with anthropometrics, glucose-related measurements, and liver enzymes, whereas WBC was only associated with triglycerides in females.

(1) Males displayed more severe inflammation according to ferritin profile, and also more signs of liver derangement; (2) all differences continued after BMI discrepancies were adjusted for, and ferritin was significant also after control of waist girth; (3) in both genders inflammatory markers often correlated with different anthropometrics, liver enzymes, and markers of glucose homeostasis; and (4) inflammatory and biochemical gender-related dissimilarities might have prognostic implications for cardiovascular risk and other comorbidities, and deserve additional studies.