Visceral fat accumulation is associated with increased plasma sphingosine-1-phosphate levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: Accumulating evidence has shown that sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) plays roles in glucose and fat metabolism. However, the association between plasma S1P levels and fat mass, especially visceral fat mass, remains unknown.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 80 men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were recruited to investigate the association of plasma S1P levels with body fat parameters. Visceral (VFA) and subcutaneous fat (SFA) areas were evaluated by performing computed tomography scan, and fat mass (FM) and lean body mass (LBM) were examined by whole body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis adjusted for age, T2DM duration, serum creatinine, and body mass index (BMI) showed that S1P was significantly and positively associated with fasting plasma glucose (β = 0.25, p = 0.027), HbA1c (β = 0.28, p = 0.012), and urine C-peptide (β = 0.29, p = 0.014). Moreover, multiple regression analysis adjusted for age, T2DM duration, serum creatinine, HbA1c, and urine C-peptide showed that BMI (β = 0.32, p = 0.008), VFA (β = 0.33, p = 0.008), SFA (β = 0.26, p = 0.039), FM (β = 0.37, p = 0.003), and LBM (β = 0.35, p = 0.01). FM was significantly and positively associated with S1P after additional adjustment for LBM (β = 0.29, p = 0.028), whereas LBM was not after adjustment for FM. Moreover, VFA was significantly and positively associated with S1P after additional adjustment for SFA (β = 0.27, p = 0.039), whereas SFA was not after adjustment for VFA.

CONCLUSION: This is the first study to show that increased plasma S1P levels are associated with blood glucose levels and accumulation of fat mass, especially visceral fat mass, in men with T2DM.