Adipokines as Predictive Biomarkers for Training Adaptation in Subjects with Multimorbidity-A Hypothesis-Generating Study

Abstract

Background: Physical exercise exerts a positive effect on many chronic conditions, specifically lifestyle-related diseases such as overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular conditions and osteoarthritis (OA). As a result of common risk factors, most of these patients present with multiple conditions. Exercise- and disease-related biomarkers, such as adipokines, are emerging tools in training supervision and regulation; however, their significance in subjects with multimorbidities is unknown.

Subjects and methods: To address this issue, adipokines leptin, adiponectin and resistin were assessed in a cohort of subjects with multimorbidities (n = 39) presenting with at least two of the abovementioned conditions or relevant risk factors before and after a six-month exercise and lifestyle intervention program ('MultiPill-Exercise'), and correlated with training adaptation, namely changes in relative maximum oxygen uptake (V·O2max).

Results: There was a significant negative correlation between baseline leptin concentrations and training effect for relative V·O2max (after three months: rho = -0.54, p = 0.020 *; after six months: rho = -0.45, p = 0.013 *), with baseline leptin explaining 35% of the variance in delta relative V·O2max after three months and 23% after six months.

Conclusions: Leptin might be a suitable surrogate biomarker in the context of exercise-based lifestyle intervention programs in subjects with multimorbidity.

Keywords: adipokines; leptin; multimorbidity; obesity; physical exercise.

Figure 1

Correlation between baseline adipokine concentrations and baseline ${\stackrel{·}{\mathrm{V}}\mathrm{O}}_2\max$. Scatter plots with fitted regression line and 95% confidence interval band show correlations between adipokine concentrations at baseline and baseline (relative and absolute) ${\stackrel{·}{\mathrm{V}}\mathrm{O}}_2\max$.

Figure 2

Correlation between baseline adipokine concentrations and changes in ${\stackrel{·}{\mathrm{V}}\mathrm{O}}_2\max$. Scatter plots with fitted regression line and 95% confidence interval band show correlations between adipokine concentrations at baseline and changes in (relative) ${\stackrel{·}{\mathrm{V}}\mathrm{O}}_2\max$. * p < 0.05.

Figure 3

Correlation between changes in adipokine concentrations and changes in ${\stackrel{·}{\mathrm{V}}\mathrm{O}}_2\max$. Scatter plots with fitted regression line and 95% confidence interval band show correlations between changes in adipokine concentrations and changes in (relative) ${\stackrel{·}{\mathrm{V}}\mathrm{O}}_2\max$. * p < 0.05.

Figure 4

Correlation between changes in leptin concentrations and changes in absolute ${\stackrel{·}{\mathrm{V}}\mathrm{O}}_2\max$. Scatter plots with fitted regression line and 95% confidence interval band show correlations between changes in leptin concentrations and changes in absolute ${\stackrel{·}{\mathrm{V}}\mathrm{O}}_2\max$.