Plasma Proteomic Signatures of Adiposity Are Associated With Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in...

Area of Science:

• Proteomics
• Metabolomics
• Cardiovascular disease research

Background:

• The link between obesity and cardiometabolic diseases is not fully understood.
• Biomarkers for obesity-related cardiometabolic dysfunction require further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify plasma protein signatures associated with BMI and waist circumference (WC).
• To investigate the association of these protein signatures with cardiometabolic health and type 2 diabetes risk.

Main Methods:

• Utilized SomaScan V4 to analyze approximately 5,000 plasma proteins in relation to BMI and WC.
• Derived and validated protein signatures in independent datasets, including the Singapore Multi-Ethnic Cohort (MEC1) and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

Main Results:

• Identified 410 BMI-associated and 385 WC-associated proteins, forming distinct signatures.
• Protein signatures correlated with total and visceral body fat, and were associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and metabolically unhealthy obesity.
• Demonstrated a strong prospective association between WC protein signatures and increased risk of type 2 diabetes in both MEC1 and ARIC cohorts.

Conclusions:

• Developed novel plasma protein signatures for BMI and WC.
• These protein signatures show significant potential for monitoring metabolically unhealthy obesity and predicting cardiometabolic disease risk, particularly type 2 diabetes.