Biomarkers of Intestinal Permeability are Associated with Inflammation in Metabolically Healthy Obesity, but not Normal-Weight Obesity

Systemic inflammation is reported in normal-weight obesity (NWO) and metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), which may be linked to their increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Yet, drivers of this inflammation remain unclear. We characterized factors known to influence inflammatory status (i.e., intestinal permeability, adipose tissue, diet quality, microbiota) - and their relationships with measured inflammation - in NWO and MHO, healthy controls (CON) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO; N=80; n=20/group). Serum indicators of intestinal permeability and inflammation were assessed using ELISA and/or multiplex. Total, visceral, and percent body fat were measured with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Fecal microbiota composition was assessed via 16S rRNA sequencing (n=9-10/group). For C-reactive protein (CRP), MUO > NWO > CON (