Abstract
Background: There is a close connection between serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), insulin resistance, and the increased number of the components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, there are no studies evaluating the correlation between GGT and cardiometabolic phenotype. Thus, the main objective of the current study is to evaluate the relationship between GGT and cardiometabolic phenotypes among healthcare workers in Azar Cohort Study.Method: In this cross-sectional study, anthropometric measurements, fasting blood sugar (FBS), triglyceride (TG), cholesterol, high lipoprotein density (HDL), GGT, and blood pressure of 1458 healthcare workers were evaluated. MetS was determined according to the report by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III). We classified participants into four cardiometabolic phenotypes. These phenotypes consist of metabolically-healthy lean (MHL) (no MetS and BMI < 25 kg/m2), metabolically-unhealthy lean (MUHL) (MetS present and BMI < 25 kg/m2), metabolically-healthy obese (MHO) (no MetS and BMI ≥25 kg/m2), and metabolically-unhealthy obese (MUHO) (MetS present and BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2).Results: The first and third GGT tertiles have the highest prevalence of MHL (31%) and MHO (65.1%), respectively, which is statistically significant (P-value ≤ 0.001). In comparison with the lowest GGT tertile, the odds of MHO and MUHO increased by 2.84 (95% CI 2.01-4.01) and 9.12 (95%CI 5.54-15), respectively. However, the correlation between MUHL and GGT tertile does not show a similar trend. According to the ROC curve, the cutoff value of 18.5 U/l for GGT allowed us to distinguish between MHO and MUHO.Conclusions: Based on the findings of the study, the GGT can be used as a biomarker to reveal the risk of MetS, and we believe that the GGT level can be used for the early detection of MHO at risk of MetS and for administering proper interventions.