Visceral fat obesity increases serum DPP-4 levels in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus

- DPP-4 is a therapeutic target of diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis.
- The association between serum DPP-4 levels and visceral fat mass is still unclear.
- The association between serum DPP-4 and visceral fat mass was examined.
- Multiple regression and logistic analyses adjusted for confounding factors were done.
- High serum DPP-4 level is associated with accumulation of visceral fat.

ObjectiveThe relationship between serum DPP-4 level and visceral fat mass is still unclear in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study thus aimed to examine the association of visceral fat accumulation and metabolic syndrome with serum DPP-4 levels in T2DM.MethodsVisceral and subcutaneous fat areas were evaluated by performing computed tomography scan in 135 men with T2DM, who had never taken DPP-4 inhibitors or GLP-1 receptor agonists. We investigated the association between serum DPP-4 levels and visceral fat area as well as the presence of metabolic syndrome.ResultsMultiple regression analysis adjusted for age, duration of T2DM, body mass index, serum creatinine, and HbA1c showed that serum DPP-4 levels were positively associated with visceral fat area (β = 0.25, p = 0.04), but not subcutaneous fat area (β = −0.18, p = 0.13). In logistic regression analyses adjusted for the confounding factors described above, serum DPP-4 levels were positively associated with visceral fat obesity and metabolic syndrome [odds ratio (OR) = 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.00-2.66 per standard deviation (SD) increase, p = 0.04; OR = 1.77, 95%CI = 1.09-2.88 per SD increase, p = 0.02, respectively].ConclusionsThe present study showed that serum DPP-4 level was positively and specifically associated with accumulation of visceral fat and the presence of metabolic syndrome in men with T2DM.