Postprandial interleukin-6 response in elderly with abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome

The aim of this study is to evaluate the contribution of central obesity to inflammatory responses in the postprandial state in elderly patients with and without metabolic syndrome (MetS).

We evaluated 80 elderly individuals who were distributed into three groups: MetS, abdominal obesity (AbObes) and Control, according to ATPIII criteria. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) serum concentration was measured at 0, 2, 4 and 6 hours after the ingestion of a physiological meal without an overload of fat.

Serum IL-6 increased 6 hours after the meal in all of the groups (P<0.001). Comparing the groups, there was no difference in the area under the curve (AUC) of IL-6 in the postprandial state. There was a correlation between the 6-hour changes in the concentrations of IL-6 and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (r = 0.25, P<0.05).

In this study, differences in abdominal circumference (AC) have not determined a different behavior of IL-6 in the postprandial state, despite the correlation between AC and IL-6. However, we found that, in the elderly, there is a rise in serum IL-6 at 6 hours.