Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May 10;24(1):172.
doi: 10.1186/s12944-025-02581-y.

Association between eosinophil number and overweight status: a nonlinear, bidirectional study

Xinghai Yue #  1 , Chenchen Wang #  1 , Xixu Zhang  2
Affiliations

Association between eosinophil number and overweight status: a nonlinear, bidirectional study

Xinghai Yue et al. Lipids Health Dis. .

Abstract

Background: The relationship between eosinophil number and overweight status (or obesity) remains a subject of debate. While animal studies suggest a negative correlation between the two, most clinical studies indicate a positive correlation. Therefore, we hypothesize that a nonlinear relationship may exist between eosinophil number and overweight status. This study aims to investigate the association between eosinophil number and overweight status (as well as related indicators) using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Methods: We utilized data from NHANES 1999-2018, where eosinophil number was obtained from laboratory tests. Overweight status was defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25. We then applied weighted logistic regression/linear regression, subgroup analysis, and restricted cubic splines (RCS) analysis to investigate the association between eosinophil number and overweight status (as well as related indicators).

Results: A total of 77,217 individuals were included in this study, with 38,106 individuals in the non-overweight group (BMI < 25) and 39,111 individuals in the overweight group (overweight and obesity, BMI ≥ 25). The logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between eosinophil number and overweight status (OR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.81-3.12, P < 0.001). Additionally, eosinophil number was significantly positively correlated with obesity/BMI/triglycerides and negatively correlated with High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL). Finally, the nonlinear regression results indicated an inverted U-shaped relationship between eosinophil number and overweight status/obesity/BMI.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrates an inverted U-shaped relationship between eosinophil number and overweight status/obesity/BMI. Eosinophil number is also significantly associated with HDL and triglycerides. These findings suggest that eosinophils may play a role in overweight (or obesity) and provide valuable insights for exploring the underlying immune mechanisms of overweight status.

Keywords: Body mass index; Eosinophil; NHANES; Obesity; Overweight.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the ethics review board of the National Center for Health Statistics. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study. Therefore, no additional ethical review was required for this study. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. Publisher’s note: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of Participant Selection for the NHANES 1999–2018
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot of risk factors for overweight status
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Subgroup analysis forest plot of Eosinophil number and Overweight status
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Restricted Cubic Splines analysis plot of eosinophils and overweight status
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Restricted Cubic Splines analysis plot of eosinophils and obesity
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Restricted Cubic Splines analysis plot of eosinophils and body mass index
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Robinson E. Overweight but unseen: a review of the underestimation of weight status and a visual normalization theory.[J]. Obes Reviews: Official J Int Association Study Obes. 2017;18(10):1200–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zheng J, Zhang H, Shi J, et al. Association of air pollution exposure with overweight or obesity in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.[J]. Volume 910. The Science of the total environment; 2024. p. 168589. - PubMed
    1. Sciomer S, Moscucci F, Salvioni E, et al. Role of gender, age and BMI in prognosis of heart failure.[J]. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2020;27(2suppl):46–51. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Horwich TB, Fonarow GC, Clark AL. Obesity and the obesity paradox in heart Failure.[J]. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2018;61(2):151–6. - PubMed
    1. Iacobellis G. Epicardial fat links obesity to cardiovascular diseases.[J]. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2023;78:27–33. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources