New research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May), reveals distinct patterns of heart, metabolic, and inflammatory health risks between men and women living with obesity, providing an insight into how clinicians may be able to tailor management approaches.
The study led by researchers at Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey found that men with obesity appear more susceptible to developing abdominal (visceral) fat, a key factor in developing leading heart and metabolic health risks, as well as elevated levels of liver enzymes, an indicator of liver damage. In contrast, women with obesity appear more likely to develop systemic inflammation and high cholesterol that can lead to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
"Our findings reveal intriguing differences in the way men and women respond to obesity," said lead author Dr Zeynep Pekel, from Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. "They show just how important gender-specific research is. Not only are sex differences a powerful player in the pathology and course of obesity, but our results indicate that such differences could be a stepping stone toward finding targeted, sex-based therapies to help in the management of people living with obesity."
In 2023, an estimated 1.54 billion adults (around 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men) were living with metabolic syndrome worldwide—a cluster of the most dangerous risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, including abdominal obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and raised fasting plasma glucose [1].
Obesity is a complex chronic disease characterised by varied metabolic and inflammatory responses. Biological sex influences adipose (fat) tissue distribution, hepatic (liver) metabolism, and systemic inflammatory activity. However, sex-based profiling of cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers among adults living with obesity is lacking.
To address this knowledge gap, researchers analysed data from 886 women (average age 45 years) and 248 men (average age 41 years) with obesity attending the Obesity Clinic at the Department of Internal Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine between 2024 and 2025, to compare anthropometric, metabolic, and inflammatory parameters and identify sex-specific patterns.
All participants underwent physical measurements (e.g., height, weight, body mass index [BMI], blood pressure) and extensive evaluations of blood lipid profiles to quantify cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein [LDL], or "bad" cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein [HDL], or "good" cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose).
Biochemical markers of liver (alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and gamma-glutamyl transferase [GGT] levels) and kidney function (creatinine levels) as well as inflammatory parameters (C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, white blood cell count, and platelet count) were also assessed.
