Key result
Short-chain acylcarnitines correlate with adiposity markers but show no independent link to incident diabetes.
Why the study?
Although acylcarnitines have been linked to metabolic dysregulation and adiposity, evidence evaluating their association with adiposity markers, systemic inflammation, and incident diabetes in apparently healthy adults remained limited.
Are circulating acylcarnitine species associated with adiposity-related markers, systemic inflammation, and 10-year incidence of diabetes in apparently healthy adults?
Cohort (n=1,977)
No
Are circulating acylcarnitine species associated with adiposity-related markers, systemic inflammation, and 10-year incidence of diabetes in apparently healthy adults?
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Short-chain acylcarnitines are consistently associated with adiposity-related phenotypes in apparently healthy adults, serving as potential markers of early metabolic alterations, though their prospective link to incident diabetes is largely driven by adiposity.
Background Acylcarnitines (AC), intermediates of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, have been linked to metabolic dysregulation and adiposity; however, evidence in apparently healthy adults remains limited. We aimed to examine associations between circulating AC species and adiposity-related markers and systemic inflammation cross-sectionally, and with 10-year incidence of diabetes in a population-based cohort. Methods We analysed data from 1,977 apparently healthy participants in our city, Switzerland. Thirty AC species were quantified. Anthropometric markers included weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and body roundness index (BRI). Inflammatory markers included high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Multivariable regression models adjusted for demographic and lifestyle confounders were used. Incident diabetes was defined as HbA1c ≥6.5% or initiation of glucose-lowering medication at follow-up. P-values were corrected using false discovery rate (FDR). Results Short-chain AC, particularly Propionyl- and Isovalerylcarnitine, together with free carnitine, showed the strongest positive associations with multiple adiposity markers after adjustment, with consistent patterns across BMI, waist circumference, WHtR and BRI. Medium- and long-chain AC displayed weaker or inconsistent associations. Associations with inflammatory markers were modest; only Adipoylcarnitine remained positively associated with hs-CRP after adjustment. Over 10 years, 35 participants developed diabetes. Nominal associations between selected short-chain AC and incident diabetes were observed but were attenuated after adjustment for adiposity and did not remain significant after FDR correction. Conclusion In apparently healthy adults, short-chain acylcarnitines are consistently associated with adiposity-related phenotypes, supporting their role as markers of early metabolic alterations. Prospective associations with diabetes appear modest and largely adiposity-driven.
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Maung et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Early cardiometabolic dysregulation and incident diabetes in apparently healthy adults (n=1,977). Circulating acylcarnitine species (30 species) was evaluated on Adiposity-related markers, systemic inflammation (hs-CRP), and 10-year incidence of diabetes (HbA1c ≥6.5% or initiation of glucose-lowering medication). Short-chain acylcarnitines positively associated with adiposity markers, while associations with 10-year incident diabetes (35/1,977 cases) lost significance after adjustment and FDR correction.
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