Serum butyrylcholinesterase is strongly associated with adiposity, the serum lipid profile and insulin resistance.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between the serum butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity and parameters of adiposity, insulin resistance and the serum lipid profile, including the serum levels of triglyceride (TG), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes and non-diabetic subjects.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 259 Japanese subjects [171 patients with type 2 diabetes (age 60.4+/-11.9 years, BMI 25.0+/-4.4) and 88 non-diabetic subjects (age 54.2+/-15.0 years, BMI 25.8+/-4.7)] were enrolled in the study. To assess the hepatic fat content, the ratio of the CT attenuation value of the liver to that of the spleen (L/S ratio) was calculated.

RESULTS: Serum BChE activity was significantly correlated with various indices of adiposity, including the waist circumference, L/S ratio, visceral fat area (VFA), subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and BMI, and also with the TG, HDL-C, LDL-C and HOMA-R, in the entire subject population. Even after adjustment for five variables, namely, age, gender, HbA1c, CRP and serum ferritin (the serum levels of ferritin and CRP have been reported to be associated with adiposity and insulin resistance), the serum BChE activity was still correlated with the waist circumference, L/S ratio, VFA, SFA, BMI, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C and HOMA-R. Furthermore, changes in the serum BChE activity were associated with changes in the L/S ratio, VFA and SFA at 1 year after the baseline.

CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the serum BChE activity is associated with parameters of adiposity, the serum lipid profile and the degree of insulin resistance.