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. 2024 Oct 16;16(20):3501.
doi: 10.3390/nu16203501.

Metabolite, Biochemical, and Dietary Intake Alterations Associated with Lifestyle Interventions in Obese and Overweight Malaysian Women

Affiliations

Metabolite, Biochemical, and Dietary Intake Alterations Associated with Lifestyle Interventions in Obese and Overweight Malaysian Women

Fatin Saparuddin et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Differences in metabolic regulation among obesity phenotypes, specifically metabolically healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) women, may lead to varied responses to interventions, which could be elucidated through metabolomics. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the differences in metabolite profiles between MHO and MUO women and the changes following a lifestyle intervention. Serum samples from 36 MHO and 34 MUO women who participated in a lifestyle intervention for weight loss were analysed using untargeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR) at baseline and 6 months post-intervention. Anthropometric, clinical, and dietary intake parameters were assessed at both time points. Both groups showed differential metabolite profiles at baseline and after six months. Seven metabolites, including trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), arginine, ribose, aspartate, carnitine, choline, and tyrosine, significantly changed between groups post-intervention, which all showed a decreasing pattern in MHO. Significant reductions in body weight and body mass index (BMI) in the MUO correlated with changes in the carnitine and tyrosine levels. In conclusion, metabolite profiles differed significantly between MHO and MUO women before and after a lifestyle intervention. The changes in carnitine and tyrosine levels in MUO were correlated with weight loss, suggesting potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

Keywords: NMR; lifestyle intervention; metabolically healthy obese; metabolomics; obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of the lifestyle intervention programme.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Metabolites that significantly changed between MHO and MUO following intervention.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Metabolic pathways affected at sixth month.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Heatmap of correlation between the significantly changed metabolites with body weight, BMI, WC, and systolic blood pressure in MUO. Correlation determined using Pearson correlation. Green indicates a positive correlation, while red indicates a negative correlation.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Heatmap of correlation between the significantly changed metabolites with changes in anthropometry, clinical, and biochemical variables. Correlation determined using Pearson correlation analysis in both groups combined. Blue indicates a positive correlation, while red indicates a negative correlation.

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